About Azizi Life

Azizi Life is a social enterprise that supports local Rwandan artisans, helping them to set up and run small businesses, connecting their products to global markets, and investing the profits in community development.

The organisation began in 2008 when the Azizi Life team met a number of artisan cooperatives from communities that were facing barriers to development, but they had a means to overcome them - their crafts. The problem was that although the artisans could sell their crafts to their neighbours or through a middleman, the income they earned was insufficient to support their families. 

Azizi Life was set up to support the initiatives and work of the artisans and serve as a bridge to customers around the world.  The vision was to build a family of businesses which would partner with local efforts for poverty alleviation and community development. 

Since its start, a host of new initiatives have been established:

• Azizi Life Experiences - running experience days and tours for people visiting Rwanda to experience Rwandan life and culture
• Azizi Life Impact - a not-for-profit organisation that offers solar lamps and fuel-efficient stoves to artisans  
• The Beekeeping project - to promote further income for people in the rural area
• Beeutiful Creations - a company which offers honey, beeswax candles and other natural products.

The Rwanda-based businesses, as well as Azizi Life US who sell the artisan goods, all contribute profits back into Azizi Life Impact’s work. For example, 2017 saw the launch of an adult literacy program within artisan communities.