We began working with the Dushyigikirane, a women’s association in the rural village of Masoro to assist in the design and construction of affordable, sustainable, self-built homes. Dushyigikirane has over 600 members which have worked together to create economic and social initiatives in their community since the Rwandan genocide of 1994. These projects have included an orphanage, a bakery, and a micro-credit bank. Their goal is to create 50 homes for association members and low-income village residents. To fund the first of two prototypes and enact a construction training exchange program we created the Stitchworks project which brings together US and Rwandan artists and designers  working in various fields to create a series of paper and fabric prints. 

The project was initiated by Jungil Hong, a visual artist in Providence, and Yutaka Sho of GAC, in collaboration with the Headlight Hotel Print Shop and the Tiny Showcase Gallery. Over 80% of the sales were used to purchase building materials for the prototype house. Together with donations from individuals and institutions, we were able to fund Maisoon Masoro, the first prototype house for Dushyigikirane. And, develop a process of funding, training, and collaboration for the second project, the Jabana House.