welcome wagon!

dear internet, 

we have an exciting announcement to make. the full-time team Sseko here in the US is no longer a team of two. we've added a new addition and we couldn't be more excited about it. (and no. this is STILL not a baby announcement. sorry to disapoint.) 

we knew that the first person to join our little team of two in Portland would have to be special. we get that working with a married couple could be kind of intimadating. and let's be honest, neither Ben nor I have what can be described as "mild" personalities. we knew we needed someone who could hold their own, speak up and help us make Sseko great.

and we found her. her name is laura. she is smart and bold and passionate. a triple threat, if you ask me. she'll be officially joining us when we return from Uganda. she will be helping us take care of our existing retail partners and helping us find new ones. (retail partners, you're going to LOVE her. promise.) 

here is a little something from laura. feel free to stop by anytime to say hi to this growing crew!

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Hello all!  My name is Laura Corder and I am super excited to join the team here in Portland as the new Sales and Brand Advocate.  When I first heard about Sseko, I immediately thought to myself how cool it would be to work for such a purposeful company.  Less than a year later I found myself applying for the first opening in their US office! 

With a background in school counseling and social work, the thought of pursuing this position didn’t exactly track with everyone’s idea of what I would be doing (even mine at first, admittedly).  But I knew that no matter the job, I wanted one that I deemed important.  I am certain that in combining business savvy with people skills, at a company that supports women’s education and the Ugandan economy, I have found something to get behind here at Sseko.  Plus, who doesn't love the beautiful sandals and clutches?!

I moved to Oregon this summer from Virginia, and cannot wait to dive into all that is happening in this city, at Sseko Designs, and even, dare I say, East Africa!  Thanks to the co-dreamers for welcoming me to the dream team!

Love,

Laura

{employee of the month club!}

I’m happy to present our most recent Sseko Designs Employee of the Month: Auntie Matilda! Auntie Matilda has been working with us for about a year and a half. She’s become an expert shoe maker, particularly when it comes to stitching the loops on the base. English isn’t Matilda’s first (or second) language, and I often wonder how much more outspoken she’d be if we could communicate easier. 

Auntie Matilda is dedicated. She is at work everyday and is always on time – and usually quite early. She sets the bar high at her work station, as she can sew more loops in a day than anyone else. She is humble, and she is diligent.  She has a bright smile and in the right moment- oooooh that girl can dance!

This month we had a big end-of-year cleaning day. We dusted the top shelves, hauled out bags of trash, and scrubbed the floors until they shined. But when you clean, there’s always the dirty job. The one everyone sees needs to be done but ignores. On this day, it was our scrap material storage room. Rain had leaked in the previous month and created quite the stink under some bags of scrap. I turned the corner to face the filth (when I finally concluded that no one else was going to do it), and I found Matilda. She was quietly cleaning and scrubbing the nasties away. And she did an amazing job. The place looked brand new when it was all finished. I was overwhelmed by her humility and hard work, knowing that if I hadn’t bumped into her there, it would have gone overlooked and unacknowledged. Rather than have that happen, Auntie Matilda was made our Employee of the Month!

Thank you so much for your hard work, humility, diligence, and kind spirit. We love you, Auntie!!

Holiday Beach Bash!

Is it true? Another year come and gone? Another class of women on their way to a University degree? Another Holiday beach bash?? Yes, it is true.

2011 was another great year for Sseko in Uganda. We have 11 more employees than we did at this time last year. We survived riots and teargassing in 2011. We survived week long power outages and taxi strikes. We moved our workshop from a hectic college-town to a lake-side property outside the city.  We made more shoes and straps than ever before. We have a new Director of Operations. We celebrated the birth of our first Sseko baby- a girl! We had our first interns from the US join us for the summer. We launched a new product line (yay for the Pleated Clutch!) And we learned more than we ever imagined we would.

To celebrate the conclusion of another year, we did what we love to do most: went to the beach! We don’t mean to rub it in your face, but there’s something so sweet about conducting your office Christmas party under a thatch roof hut on the shores of Lake Victoria. The highlight of the party was the conclusion of a 2-month Secret Santa saga. We drew names for the gift exchange back in October. Since then, the rumors and jokes have been flying about who drew who. I kid you not: some of the ladies were so surprised when they found out who drew their name, they cried. Serious tears of shock (and hopefully joy). It was dramatic. And awesome. Everyone walked away with something nice- clothes, jewelry, handbags, dishes- you name it. Secret Santa was a huge success and is hereby declared a new Sseko tradition.

As we end the year, we are so grateful. We are so grateful for the incredible women we work with. We are so grateful for the growth of Sseko, and we are so grateful for everyone who supports us here. It has been an incredible year.

{employee of the month club!}

Ladies and gents, I am proud to present to you Sseko’s most recent EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH! 

(Drumroll, please. Go ahead. Drumroll. I’ll wait……)

she is….. 

AUNTIE FLORENCE!!!!

We tossed a few different names around, searching for the most outstanding performer. We mulled it over, discussed various achievements, scratched our chins, and concluded that our all-star seamstress was the winner. This month Auntie Florence has been flexible with designs, creative with materials, and steadfast in her work. She is often working in the background, reliable, and always always ready to flash you a bright smile. Others grab the spotlight more frequently and attract more attention for their work, but Auntie Flo is steady. We appreciate her hard work, her creative flexibility, and her motherly spirit. She will be recognized and treated with extra respect and honor this month, as it is HER month! Well done, Auntie!

{...oh, baby, baby!...}

Well, it's been 2 months since we shared a picture of the very pregnant Miss Robinah. You must be on the edge of your seat waiting for the exciting and inevitable follow-up announcement...

And here SHE is! 

Yes, our first Sseko baby is {appropriately} a little baby girl! Baby Blessing Alice was born about 4 weeks ago to proud parents, Robinah and Robert. We Sseko ladies could only wait a week before we piled everyone into 2 vans and made the trek out to visit the happy family. Blessing Alice was promptly passed around the circle of 25 aunties, each of us only getting about 10 seconds before she was passed to the next eager auntie. She was peaceful and patient as an angel, while we all squawked and hollered, laughed and squealed at how stinking CUTE she is! It was also so wonderful to see Robinah, a staple in our workshop, whose maternity leave seems (to us) to be dragging on and on. We took the afternoon off of making shoes to celebrate life and birth and health and family...not bad for a Thursday!

Congratulations to Robert and Robinah. We wish you and your new family the best...we love you!