Aristote Bikino

Irebe Baskets Collection

We are a community-based cooperative operating in Rwanda - a group of local artisans working to socially improve our livelihoods through the production of home use and lifestyle baskets, our focus is the production of home living and everyday use products plus other accessories. Working with these craftswomen (majority women) has many benefits. Our members include community youth, single-parent households, and other artisan individuals located within our surroundings and we specialize in finding creative ways to transform indigenous materials into functional items. We engage community youths and women to be responsible stewards of the environment by ensuring we use sustainable raw materials that have a minimal level of damage to the environment and nature. [Environment Conservation] The cooperative members are our foundation force: the different beautiful products we produce testify to our raw talent and passion behind every handmade basket we produce. The Irebe Basket group works to provide meaningful vocation hand skills that empower our members by training them in the production of handicraft products which are then sold under our souvenir shop outlets found in Kigali, and these sales have enabled our group to grow in both capacity and socially as this now provides a source of income for the artisans in our cooperative.