BrooklynModern

Six Rwandan women arrived in Brooklyn today as the guests of Blue Marble Ice Cream. They have come to train in ice cream production and take part in a benefit to support the creation of an ice cream shop of their own in Butare, Rwanda.  Event to be held on Sunday, July 26th from 6-11 pm.

Blue Marble Dreams, the non-profit venture of Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream, was established in September 2008 with the mission to explore the potential of ice cream as a catalyst of joy and economic growth.  Through the organization’s pilot initiative, Sweet Dreams, the founders will work in partnership with a group of women in Butare, Rwanda, to create the country’s first-ever local ice cream shop.  “More than just a shop,” Alexis Miesen, co-founder of Blue Marble Dreams, said, “we hope to create through Sweet Dreams a place where the Butare community can gather, indulge and savor life together.”

The women are members of Ingoma Nshya, Rwanda’s pioneer women’s drumming group. Founded as an initiative to bring women together in a safe, happy, productive space, Ingoma Nshya began with a handful of tentative members and is now over 100 drummers strong.  The women represent both sides of the 1994 conflict and have severely limited access to training and employment.  Through Sweet Dreams, a business they will collaboratively build and maintain, they will learn a variety of practical skills and earn a sustainable income. Sweet Dreams will also support local dairy farmers and contribute to the development of Butare’s fledgling economy.

The July 26 event, to be held at House of the Lord Church, 415 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn (click for map), is a fundraiser to benefit Sweet Dreams.  It will begin at 6:00pm with an ice cream social and a silent auction featuring items donated by many of the neighborhood’s most popular shops.  At 7:30pm, attendees will be treated to a sensational live drumming performance by the women of Ingoma Nshya and other special musical guests.  The evening will conclude with a VIP reception at Blue Marble Ice Cream’s Atlantic Avenue location where guests will meet the artist/entrepreneurs.

Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream, the force behind Blue Marble Dreams
420 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn NY

While organized by Blue Marble Dreams, this event has grown into a Brooklyn-wide effort to welcome these women to the community and support their efforts to better their lives through music and entrepreneurship.  Event sponsors include the Nu Hotel, Boerum Hill Realty, the new Jonathan Adler Brooklyn store, Bonita Fort Greene, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Acorn Toy Shop, Stuart + Wright and Bird, among many others.