I’m so excited to share the story of these Sseko Ribbon Sandals with you. Besides being comfortable, fashionable and fun to tie in different ways, the story behind these sandals and the young women in Uganda who make them touches my heart. Reading about these intelligent, determined women and their desire to continue their education nearly brought me to tears and inspired me to help in any way I can…
Sseko Ribbon Sandals are produced in Uganda and help enable young women attend university. Sseko hires academically gifted young women during the nine month gap between secondary school and University to earn money that will go directly towards their education. At the end of their nine month term, Sseko will match 100% of their savings with a college scholarship.
In addition to providing opportunity to college-bound students, Ssseko employs women from all walks of life who are ending the cycle of poverty. By wearing Sseko Ribbon Sandals you’re making a direct impact on the lives of these women, plus all Sseko Ribbon Sandals are made from material sourced locally from the East African region.
I treasure the pieces in my wardrobe that were lovingly made by hand and it means even more to me if I know something about who has made what I’m wearing. Knowing where these shoes come from and who they help means the world to me and makes me love them even more. I’ve been having a blast tying them in all sorts of different ways but this ‘double cross’ style is my current favorite.
My pair of Ribbon Sandals were made by Jackie, a mom who is working to give her son a better education. My brass bangle is imprinted with the name of Hadijja, my Sseko Sole Sister, who is a University-bound young woman who was forced to put her education on hold for a bit and now is back on track with dreams of becoming a teacher of Physics and Math. Wearing these sandals and Hadijja’s bracelet make me feel like I’m sharing in their dreams and I’m so happy to be a part of this wonderful community who sees these shoes as more than just a product on a shelf but sees the dreams and lives behind the hands who made them.
In honor of my collaboration with Sseko, I will be hosting a contest this week (7/1/14 – 7/8/14) on Instagram to win one of these beautiful brass bangles with the name of a university-bound Sseko woman. For more contest information, please visit my Instagram page.
To learn more about Sseko and see all of their great designs and cute ways to tie these Ribbon Sandals, please visit the Sseko site at: www.ssekodesigns.com
