Fair trade organization Project Have Hope is helping skilled women from Uganda’s Acholi Quarter take their handiwork to the masses. From its early days selling hand-rolled paper beads five years ago, the project has grown to feature backpacks, yoga bags, headbands, homewares, and jewelry.
The accessories and homewares created reflect the African communities where they were made, so they fit in well with the current Western love of tribal fashion. The handbags are all made from native African fabrics embellished with the continent’s distinctive ethnic prints. The Project Have Hope website isn’t forthcoming about the types of textiles used, but as Green America has approved the initiative we can only assume the materials are eco-friendly.
Project Have Hope is part of a new breed of charities, which focuses on helping individuals rather than simply throwing money at them. It assists the women as they move out of poverty and invests all its profits back into their Ugandan communities. To date Project Have Hope has sponsored more than one hundred school children, made more than 75 loans to budding African entrepreneurs, and run vocational training, adult literacy, and agricultural programs.
The Project Have Hope bags and accessories aren’t as intricate as many fair trade purses we’ve seen, but they’re also much more affordable. This initiative is a great way for recessionistas to support artisans abroad.
[Image Source: Project Have Hope website]
