Portrait of the Akebo initiative founder Annelle Abatoni Kayisire

Annelle Abatoni Kayisire grew up in Rwanda, Kigali, and, in 2019, she was awarded the MasterCard Scholarship to study at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she majors in Biological Sciences and Media Arts and Sciences. Some of her biggest passions include interactive design, entrepreneurship, and reproductive justice. Annelle is also the founder of Akebo, s a shop of hand-woven crafts made by young women from Eastern Rwanda, in Nyamata. Rwanda has a long history of basket-weaving, kuboha, and it is our philosophy that this intricate craft is a symbol of patience, candor, and gratitude. Woven items populate homes as decorative objects, as well as in traditional weddings as portals of gifts. This long-lasting culture was the inspiration of this project, both as a business venture and a way to empower women economically through their hand-made products.