Saye Company
VP Grantee

Saye Company, now in its second year as a grantee of the New Africa Fund, is a social enterprise based in Kigali, Rwanda, that supports girls and women through educational initiatives aimed at combating menstrual stigma and preventing teen pregnancies. It was founded in 2017 by Amina Umuhoza, a dynamic young woman who witnessed many of her peers drop out of school and fall into poverty due to teen pregnancies, often stemming from a lack of access to accurate information on sexual and reproductive health.

 

Saye Company produces home décor items and uses revenue from its sales to fund its social impact arm, Dukataze. The organization operates a public menstruation station in Kigali, leads digital campaigns targeted at youth, and runs sexual and reproductive health and Rights (SRHR) initiatives in both rural and urban areas. Its creative approach includes the development of an educational comic book, and a board game focused on menstruation and SRHR. Through engaging formats like comics, storytelling, dance classes, and interactive activities at the menstruation station, Saye successfully connects with young audiences in a meaningful and lasting way.

 

The organization also empowers teen mothers through its Teen Mothers Sewing Incubation Program, which provides them with the tools and skills needed to break the cycle of poverty. Each participant receives a sewing machine and six months of training. Some graduates are offered paid positions within Saye Home Décor’s production team. To date, 12 teen mothers have completed the program across three cohorts, and Saye aims to scale the initiative to accommodate more participants per cycle.

 

Since 2022, Saye established SRHR Clubs to educate adolescents in schools and communities. The clubs focus on topics such as SRHR, gender-based violence, positive masculinity, and sustainable development goals. In 2024, more than 1,000 adolescents received training through this program.​