Project Description

In collaboration with Dushyigikirane, a women-led association in the rural village of Masoro, this project supported the design and construction of affordable, sustainable, self-built housing. Dushyigikirane, comprising over 600 members, has been a cornerstone of post-genocide community development in Rwanda—initiating critical social infrastructure such as an orphanage, a bakery, and a microcredit bank. The association’s objective to construct 50 homes for low-income families reflects a broader commitment to socio-economic resilience and housing justice in underserved rural contexts.

To initiate this effort, the Stitchworks Project was developed as a creative research and fundraising initiative. The project mobilized a transnational network of artists and designers from Rwanda and the United States to produce limited-edition paper and fabric prints. As highlighted by The New York Times in the article “Buy a Print, Help Rwandans,” the initiative linked cultural production with humanitarian design, allocating over 80% of sales proceeds directly to the procurement of building materials for prototype housing.

Led by visual artist Jungil Hong and architect Yutaka Sho of GAC, in partnership with the Headlight Hotel Print Shop and the Tiny Showcase Gallery, Stitchworks contributed to the construction of Maison Masoro, the first housing prototype. In addition to funding, the project established a framework for construction training and cross-cultural exchange that was extended in a subsequent initiative: the Jabana House. This model demonstrates the potential of integrating creative economies, design activism, and collaborative building practices in the realization of dignified and sustainable housing in East African contexts.