Cari Clement- SUPER HERO!

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 10 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #395 in Volunteering, #67,634 overall | Donates to Squidoo Charity Fund

One Woman's Choice To Give Back

Cari Clement is the Director of Fashion and Design for Caron International, a spinner and importer of hand knitting and crochet yarn for retail sale. She is the former co-owner of Bond America, a domestic knitting machine manufacturer which she sold to Caron in 2003. She is also the Founder and Director of
Rwanda Knits, a project that helps low-income women in Rwanda earn a living through knitting.


"I have always wanted to assist in creating a women's economic cooperative, but did not know where to start...As for many of us, September 11th pushed aside those rationales and gave me added resolve to see how we as a company and I as an individual could contribute in our own small way to encouraging global economic cooperation which ultimately leads to greater global peace."

In late 2001, Cari contacted UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), offering to donate machines and training wherever they were needed in the world. Her donation of the initial 60 machines expanded through a USAID grant to Rwanda Knits in 2005. This grant funded the purchase of over 600 knitting machines, accessories, yarn and training. It also assisted 17 Rwandan women's groups (approx 1,200 women) in setting up 28 knitting cooperatives to sell goods produced for domestic and export markets.

Cari has traveled to Rwanda nine times, pays personally for all her travel expenses and, in whatever spare time she has, writes grants for the project. 100% of all donations go directly to Rwanda Knits in Rwanda.

Cari's goals for Rwanda Knits is for the knitting cooperatives to be fully sustainable within five years. Orders have been received for over 2,000 school uniform sweaters and the market is just being researched for other domestic and regional products. Small orders for export are also under way but more technical and business training is needed, as these women are building their own businesses from the ground up.

See What's Up With Rwanda Knits on Flickr 

Candid pictures of Cari Clement and training sessions with womens' groups in Rwanda, East Africa

Cari Clement- Successful Businesswoman & Founder of Rwanda Knits by badmsm

Cari Clement- Successful Businesswoman & Founder of Rwanda Knits

Rwanda Knits Training Set Up In Kizba, Rwanda- July 2003 by badmsm

Rwanda Knits Training Set Up In Kizba, Rwanda- July 2003

Rwanda Knits Training Begins In Kizba, Rwanda- July 2003 by badmsm

Rwanda Knits Training Begins In Kizba, Rwanda- July 2003

Knitters at Women for Women, Kigali, Rwanda by badmsm

Knitters at Women for Women, Kigali, Rwanda

Proud knitters of the Nyagatare Women's Handcraft cooperative, Nyagatare, Rwanda by badmsm

Proud knitters of the Nyagatare Women's Handcraft cooperative, Nyagatare, Rwanda

Cari with Teachers at AVEGA, Rwanda by badmsm

Cari Clement with Teachers at AVEGA, Rwanda

Rwanda Knits: Dian Fossey Crafters by badmsm

Rwanda Knits: Dian Fossey Crafters

Cari Clement: Training Session by badmsm

Cari Clement: Rwanda Knits Training Session

Dr. Odette, Angelina, Cari, Anne by badmsm

Dr. Odette, Angelina, Cari Clement, Anne

Cari Clement Teaching in Kiziba, Rwanda- 2004 by badmsm

Cari Clement Teaching in Kiziba, Rwanda- 2004

Cari Clement Teaching In Furaha,Rwanda by badmsm

Cari Clement Teaching In Furaha,Rwanda

Cari Clement Knitting Ponchos With Students In Ghembe, Rwanda by badmsm

Cari Clement Knitting Ponchos With Students In Ghembe, Rwanda

Knitters of the Urumuri ("Bright Light") Cooperative, Negasambu, Rwanda by badmsm

Knitters of the Urumuri (

Rwanda Knits Blog 

The latest news from Rwanda Knits

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

"The women of Rwanda Knits..are determined to make knitting their life-long income-producer."

How I Connected With Cari Clement and Rwanda Knits 

Cari was first my teacher, then my TV producer, then my mentor...and we still haven't met in person!

* I bought my first Bond Knittng Machine in 1997. I learned to knit with Cari on my Bond videos.

* When a new model of the Bond was due to be released in 2000, my entire family appeared in the infomercial (I was even interviewed on camera!)

* In 2001 I began BadMsM's Knit-O-Rama online and the Northern California Bond Club to teach about machine and other alternative knitting techniques in the Bay and Central Valley California areas. We now have over 135 members worldwide!

* When Cari began Rwanda Knits, I read her updates with a lot of excitement. What a great way to foster peace and prosperity!

* In 2004, I was able to travel to Uganda with a local church group and 10 Bond machines and a lot of yarn. Our first cooperative consisted of 22 women in the village Mpala, outside Entebbe.

* In 2005, we went back to Uganda with 10 more machines and started 5 more cooperatives in Kampala and Jinja (Uganda), Kenya and Rwanda with the help of our first group. Cari and other machine knitters gave me their full support, and I even was able to speak in London while the G8 Summit was in session.

Cari has been a wonderful source of information, resources and encouragement over the years. She has never been too busy to help me by phone or email- even while changing planes in London!

Thanks, Cari, for all you do! You've helped me become a better person by showing me a way to help others.

Click here to learn more about my knitting adventures on Squidoo!

The Urumuri Womens' Co-op, Negasambu, Rwanda

More About Cari Clement

Cari has a BS (1971) in Textiles and Fashion Marketing in the school of Home Economics (now in the School of Business Administration) from the University of Massachusetts.

Rwanda Knits Link List 

Find out more about companies that support or sell items from Rwanda Knits

Rwanda Knits
Rwanda Knits is growing quickly with the original 17 associations having formed 28 knitting cooperatives around the country.
The Amber Chand Collection
The Amber Chand Collection: Global Gifts for Peace and Understanding is a mission-based enterprise that fully supports women in regions of conflict and post-conflict - as mothers, peace builders, entrepreneurs, and skilled artisans.
Made For Peace
Anne Kellett, who has traveled with Cari Clement to Rwanda and has assisted in training the knitters, established this site for those who wanted to purchase knitted items made by the Rwanda Knits cooperatives.
Caron Yarn International
You've known for years that Caron is your source for America's #1 Soft Yarn-Simply Soft®. Did you also know that the Simply Soft family of yarns is growing all the time?
Economic Development Imports
ED (Economic Development) Imports is a company based in NYC that imports fairly traded goods from developing countries. It has partnered with Rwanda Knits to contract with the knitters to make knitted goods for export.

"With a far-away project to nurture...life couldn't be better. ~ Cari Clement"

Read More About Cari Clement & Rwanda Knits On Google 

Rwanda Knits: 6 a.m. Study Trip
The members of the Rwanda Knits Cooperative Union Formation Committee (CUFC) were so eager to get their registration process off the ground that they beat the sun to the punch. Waking in the pre-dawn hours on Friday, May 29, ...
Rwanda Knits: changing lives one stitich at a time
"RWANDA KNITS provides hand-operated, American-made knitting machines, technical, and business training to low-income Rwandan women. Our program enables them to increase their incomes through economically sustainable knitting ...
Cooperative union elects new leaders
Rwanda Knits Project Manager Patrick Nimubona likes to say, "me, I don't dance until I've heard the music." Yet as supporters lined up behind each candidate, I couldn't help thinking of marching band members falling into formation, ...
Rwanda Knits: Initial CUFC meetings heralds start of something big!
The Rwanda Knits Cooperative Union Formation Committee (CUFC) held its inaugural meeting last week. They gathered in order to meet, greet, and agree to represent their respective primary cooperatives in a process that promises to herald ...

Cari Clement's Business Credentials

Cari's background is in product development, marketing and knitwear design. She has owned her own retail yarn stores, manufactured her own line of knitwear, designed hand and machine knitting patterns for magazines and co-owned Bond America.

What Do You Think Of Rwanda Knits? 

SemperFidelis wrote...

Cari is a most excellent hero (and lens)!
Blessed, 5-starred, and favorited by a Squid Angel today! :)
Colleen ~ www.squidoo.com/squid-angel

ReplyPosted September 04, 2008

poutine wrote...

I'm in awe of Cari.

Thanks for introducing her to us.

Poutine

ReplyPosted August 09, 2008

Shawna-Tayler wrote...

Congratulations on LOTD! Just think of all the good
in the world that could be done if each of us had vision like Cari!

ReplyPosted July 27, 2008

KimGiancaterino wrote...

Welcome to the Help Africa Group. Thanks for sharing about Cari. Squid Angel Blessed!

ReplyPosted July 23, 2008

Lensmaster

untact000

It is stimulating to discover where other people generate their idea's from, sometimes they're found too late for contributors to pitch in. Whilst that may apply, it does not preclude us from trying.

ReplyPosted July 14, 2008

 
1 of 2 pages

 

This Lens Constructed By A Bonafide Giant Squid! Look For The Giant Squid Badge of Honor- Your Assurance Of Quality On Squidoo

Click here to start building your own lenses on Squidoo!

This Lens Was Selected As Lens Of The Day! 

July 14, 2008!