I cringe at the thought of spending more than $10 or $15 on a pair of shoes. I am not a shoe person - never one of those girls that had a shoe fetish, with a closet overflowing of them. I have one pair of boots that I've had since I was a freshman or sophomore in high school. So, you know, per my usual MO, a decade later, I'm still valiantly holding on to them. They're in great shape - waterproof and all. It's a running joke in my family, though, my choice of footwear. My brothers actually bought me a pair of tennis shoes one year for Christmas because up until that point I refused to buy some myself. I didn't see anything wrong with the current pair I had, but clearly the family thought otherwise. My mother eventually had to force me to part ways even with those shoes. It's not that I'm partial to the shoes, it's just that if there's nothing wrong with them, I'm not going to spend a fortune on a pair just to get an upgrade or a better looking version.
But earlier this week, I spent what I would deem a small fortune on a pair shoes. And I didn't think twice about it.
A few weeks ago, my friend Emily sent me the link to a company that had a job opening she thought I might be interested in. It was with Sseko Designs in Kampala, Uganda, for the Director of Operations. (The thought process behind that possibility is an entirely separate post all together). So I checked out the site, browsed around the products, checked out the story, and was hooked.
Because you want to know the really beautiful thing about this company? It's not about sandals - it's about the women behind the sandals. It's about opportunity and change for a people and a country that have been hurting for so long.
Sseko \say-ko\ Designs was created to help these bright young women continue their education. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time.
Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.
Sseko Designs is a not-just-for-profit enterprise that recognizes the power of business and responsible consumerism to support sustainable economic development, which in turn affects a country's educational, justice, and health care systems. The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda.
Although consumerism makes many empty promises, responsible and proactive consumerism has the ability to change lives. Like the lives of Mercy, Mary and Rebbecca.
Every sandal has a story. This story has only just begun, but with your help, it will be a story of hope, success and change.
So that's why. That's why I don't think twice about paying $50 for a pair of sandals. To me, the sandals are just icing on the cake. They're cute. They're trendy. They're durable and well-made. But it's the opportunity to help these women that gets me. I'll gladly go on buying more sandals and more straps, for myself and for others. (I see birthday and Christmas gifts on the horizon!) They may live half-a-world away but they're dreamers just like me. I love funding dreams.
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