As of September 1st, students in Rwanda are returning to their classrooms. We wanted to share with the you a bit of the joy that can be found in Susa Primary School, located next door to the Handspun Hope campus in Musanze.

Each month, we highlight two employees who have not yet been fully sponsored. When one of our employees is fully sponsored, it means a generous donor or group of donors has agreed to make monthly donations in her honor. A sponsorship can be in any amount and it takes $150 fully sponsors one woman…

Today, we want to introduce you to another invaluable member of the Handspun Hope staff in Rwanda. Christine is our only female security at the cooperative in Musanze and offers a unique perspective.

Please welcome Christine! …

une 6th is National Higher Education Day. While this holiday focuses primarily on college degrees here in the states, in Rwanda being able to attend and graduate from secondary school is major achievement. An education in not guaranteed in Rwanda and a family must be able to pay for school fees, text books and uniform fees in order for a child to attend school…

Recently, we shared with you our latest collaboration project with Imani Collective, a fellow nonprofit working in Africa. Based in a village outside of Mombasa, Kenya, Imani Collective believes the key to breaking the poverty cycle lies within dignified employment….

This month, we are continuing our sponsorship features. Both of the talented artisans you’ll meet below are currently unsponsored. When one of our employees is sponsored, it means a generous donor has agreed to make monthly donations in her honor.

We are excited to introduce you to our latest addition to the Hope Artisan Collective: The Hello Hope tote! This simple and sweet bag just screams summer - with its’ fresh canvas body and just a hint of leather to add interest and warm things up a bit…

As of this morning, there are now 1,105 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rwanda and three deaths.

The government is allowing our employees to return to work. We are so grateful for our staff in Rwanda who ensure everyone is practicing safe social distancing while at work and wearing masks. We have multiple washing/sanitizing stations set up throughout the property.

Is there anything better than a beautiful, sturdy, well-constructed leather bag? Possibly … but we can’t think of anything right now and we sure do love these beauties!

All of the leather bags found in the Hope Artisan Collective are made by artisans we work with in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia …

Today’s Q&A is with Sammy Abdella, an artisan and expert leather craftsman working in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Sammy has been a friend of Handspun Hope for years and his beautiful bags have long been a staple of the Hope Artisan Collective. We want you to get know him and his business …