During a recent visit to Rwanda, we visited some of our growth programmes for an extensive interview with their founders about the company, their lives and entrepreneurship in their country.

Frustrated because she couldn't find sustainable toys for her children, Ritah Uwera took matters into her own hands. She founded Toddle Care to produce her own handmade sustainable ánd educational toys. What started with fabric soon expanded to include wooden toys and children's furniture, and Ritah is working hard to provide as many Rwandan schools with efficient classroom kits, using few resources for many use cases. Today, Ritah is collaborating with the Rwandan government and education board to expand her educational impact. As the only Rwandan toy company, Toddle Care wants to move fast to make their mark on the East African market.   

Part 1: the work

Can you tell me a bit more about your company?

Ritah Uwera: Toddle Care is a Rwandan-based business that produces educational materials such as toys to enhance childhood education and improve learning experience for Rwandan children. We choose to use sustainable materials such as wood and fabric to promote and encourage sustainability and use waste. I founded Toddle Care in 2016, motivated by my frustration as a mother. I was looking for good educational toys for my child and I couldn’t find them. The idea came to my mind to try and create these materials, especially wooden toys, and that’s how Toddle Care was born.

Have there been any big milestones in the history of your company?

Ritah: When I started the business, it was just me. Being able to grow the business from one person to 14 FTEs is a major achievement. We have worked with many other educational institutions providing materials for schools and one of the big milestones recently was working on the UNICEF contract, where we provided 2900 schools with educational materials. That helped us prove that we can supply large orders and has given us visibility in the education sector.

And you’re moving towards B2B right now?

Ritah: Yes. Previously we focused on B2C, now we are focusing on B2B. We’re in the process of creating a play-to-learn classroom kit which we want to introduce to schools, so that they can use it to enhance the children’s learning in their institution. That’s what we’re focusing on at the moment.

What are your ambitions and long term goals for the company?

Ritah: Our future goals are first to position ourselves as the leading expert and provider in educational materials, not only here in Rwanda but in the whole East-African region and beyond. Second, we want to grow our partnership with institutions in Rwanda, such as the Rwandan education board, NGOs and schools, as a trusted partner and provider of educational materials.

What are you most proud of?

Ritah: So many things. I would say working on the big order with UNICEF was huge, and also seeing the business grow from a baby with an idea to a medium-sized business. But to me, the main thing I’m proud of is the impact of our materials on the children that use them. Seeing how they interact with the materials, the impact in terms of educational growth, that fills me with the encouragement to keep going.

Part 2: life and Exchange

Can you tell me a bit more about yourself?

Ritah: I’m a mother of 2 daughters, a 7 and 9 yo. I’m a wife. I’m 35 years old. My educational background; I have a bachelor’s degree in business and information & communication technology. 

What inspires you in life? What gives you the energy you need to get through the day?

Ritah: My children inspire me a lot. They’re very playful -  that’s how I started Toddle Care - and looking at how they are growing, what they’re passionate about and how they play, inspires me on a daily basis. When I go back to work, where I spend a lot of my time in a week, I always work hard to make sure that the way I see my children play and develop, other children can do that as well. All children, because when we have a good education, a good foundation for children, we can be sure that their future is good. That inspires me a lot.

Have you tested all the toys you made on your children?

Ritah: Not all of them, but a lot. Sadly for them, they always end up with the prototypes, but they’re the best for me in terms of testing and giving me ideas. They’re really good at encouraging, sometimes they challenge me and I love that. 

What do you like to do in your free time?

Ritah: I spend most of my free time with my family, which I enjoy a lot.

What has your experience with Exchange been like?

Ritah: I’m really happy that I met Exchange. When Ariane from Exchange approached me last year, I was at a stage where business is starting to grow, but I’m not ready to handle the growth and I don’t know how to. When Exchange agreed to take me on as a business and coach me, it really had a positive impact on me personally, as the leader of the business, but also on the business as a whole. I was provided with a business coach who has helped me think through all the aspects of the business plan, come up with really good strategies tailored to our business and who has helped us grow the business to another level. That was really needed at the time. I’m very sure and confident that by next year this time, we will see a huge improvement in terms of business growth. Safe to say I’m very happy with the coach and with everything Exchange does for my business. I don’t feel alone, I feel like I’ve got a friend to go forward with.

Part 3: entrepreneurship and Rwanda

How do you look at entrepreneurship in your country? 

Ritah: I would say the entrepreneurship in Rwanda at the moment is quite dynamic. There are all sorts of different types of entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs, ... and the government is really trying their best to encourage entrepreneurship. Especially youth entrepreneurship is supported, with policies that support businesses and help them grow. They’re pushing for innovation and with the technology that they’re investing in, they’re really helping businesses operate and function much better. It’s the best environment today for a business to start, grow and survive.

What improvements do you look forward to?

Ritah: More convenient policies. The government has done a lot already, but there are of course still things missing. The more they streamline their policies and make it better for businesses to operate here, the better it will become. They’re encouraging investment in the country, which brings in money but also new knowledge. This will help the locals to open up their minds and learn how to do business in a better way. They’re also investing a lot in local businesses, which means that in the next few years I'm sure we’ll see small businesses grow to become large industries that operate not only in Rwanda, but are also exporting to and servicing many other countries all around us.

What do you like most about your country?

Ritah: So many things, choosing one is very tricky. Rwanda is a very beautiful country. It’s small, but the way the Rwandans think and do things is much bigger and broader. It is safe for businesses to operate here and women have been given a seat. I’m not afraid or ashamed to go out and perform my best, because I know I have a voice. Out of everything, these are the things I appreciate most about Rwanda.