Looking Ahead

Thanks to our generous supporters, 2022 was our most successful and impactful year yet. We begin 2023 looking ahead to a year of internal strengthening, preparing for increased growth to come.

The 4th Kula Fellowship

Our programs will continue steadily throughout the year with 315 fellows in three regions of Rwanda set to graduate in November, totaling 1,165 entrepreneurs graduated from our program – our first graduation to include a women’s center in each region – and subsequently enrolling 315 new fellows into our 5th Fellowship cycle.

Our Environmental Focus

This year, we will plant 250,000 coffee and shade trees, increasing our previous seedling distribution by 25%, as well as continuing to research and trial the most effective farm inputs to provide coffee farmers so that they can cultivate healthy and sustainable farms in spite of the increasing climatic challenges they face. We will also continue to provide attention, awareness, and education on the interconnectedness between the women we partner with and the land they depend on through our environmental initiative: Of Land & Women.

Ntango Washing Station

We will process coffee at our washing station for the 4th year, projecting to export a full container to a growing list of over 15 coffee partners across 3 continents, while supporting over 800 farmers with good prices and bonus payments.

Our Women’s Centers

We will open a new women’s center building in Rusasa, Gakenke District, while breaking ground on another, creating a centralized and intentional space out of which our Artisan Training will operate and Kula Field Staff will work and invest further into the communities we partner with.

Long Term Impact Measurement

Perhaps most importantly, we will conduct long term measurement and evaluation with our graduates from 2020 and 2022, receiving vital data and feedback on what our program impact looks like for these fellows one and two years after graduation and using that information to evaluate and strengthen the programs themselves moving forward.

Kula’s Organizational Strengthening

Amidst it all, we are building our internal processes for the future: engaging in detailed conversation and technical work to deepen and clarify our impact definitions, metrics, and analysis, ensuring that we have system efficiencies in place to deliver our approach in the best way possible, and exploring growth opportunities in tree distribution and farming support at a larger scale.