Sseko founder, Liz Forkin Bohannon, first traveled to Uganda in 2008 with a fresh Journalism Master's degree from the University of Missouri in her pocket. Her goal was the assist in the communications efforts for a youth development organization based in Kampala. While there, Liz encountered an incredible group of talented young women struggling to finance their post-secondary education.
After traveling the country by motorcycle to find raw materials and learn how to produce footwear by hand, Liz hired three women making sandals together under a mango tree, to an International fashion brand that provides employment opportunities and entrepreneurial training for over 50 women in East Africa. She believes that business is a powerful platform for social change and that girls are the future. Liz and her husband live in Portland, Oregon, and I couldn't think of a more appropriate city to build this compassionate company.
My friend Katie hosted a Sseko Trunk Show last week and I was captivated by this small company and their story. I began hearing about these fantastic ribbon sandals she was wearing in California during her spring break as well as a beautiful genuine leather belt purse (trendy fanny pack turn clutch). With my interest fully peaked, I joined her online trunk show hosted by her Sseko Fellow Monique Boehme, and purchased my first pair of sandals and created quite an extensive wish list.
I am inspired by this company, not only their mission, but I believe this mission is pure. Sseko works hard to source as many of the materials (from beads to rubber) in the East African region with the aim of supporting the local economy and community. She employs women who would otherwise be forced to work in much more difficult conditions such as in clothing factories where they are paid very little and beaten by their male employers.
I heard the story of one Sseko employee, Matilda. Following her husband's death, the only job she could find was brutal, back-breaking work in a rock quarry. Now this incredibly strong, resilient woman works alongside 50+ Ssiters in a dignified, supportive, environment, earns a fair living wage and looks forward to the day when she will employ her grandchildren in a family business that she will start herself.
Liz personally selects the tannery partner who is intentionally working towards and investing in environmentally friendly processing techniques. In the world of vegan alternatives, Sseko is supporting tanneries by providing jobs and creates a market for the hides left over after animals are sold for meat. This means more income for farmers and more support for the region.
The combination of fashion and making an impact worldwide has given me wings. As I grow older, my focus becomes less on consuming and more about progress in a world where women, like my daughters, have an equal and compassionate voice. We share this planet with billions of other humans, and we have been sorted and categorized by men. I can't think of a more appropriate place to start then to support a company that supports women of multiple countries, works to provide a financially self-sustaining model, that makes choices not based solely on financial opportunities, but on how to make a sustainable life for women globally. Empowering women to have voices in professions that will someday lead countries.
I am excited to receive my first pair of ribbon sandals (and Brave earrings with lava stone charm for my Young Living Essential Oils) this week and I am hosting a Trunk Show mid-May to do what I can to support this beautiful company. Please join me and then ask yourself "Who are the clothes I'm wearing made by? Were they treated fairly? Are they earning a living wage?" and consider that each and every Sseko piece comes with the name of the women who made it and how you are supporting her dreams.
