Well, well, so glad you asked. Read this carefully, because it is a really important part of who we are and what we do. We are a socially proactive, Not-Just-For-Profit business. This means that we are not a charity and do not operate on a traditional non-profit, donor/fundraising model.  Instead, we have created our business model around these women and their needs. That means, like in a traditional business, we front all the money to pay for the supplies, to provide housing, training programs and their salary. (That is important. It is their monthly income that goes towards their tuition.)  Because lodging and basic needs are met by us, they are able (and actually required) to put 80% of their salary in a fund that goes directly towards their university education. (We give them 20% of their salary a month to do what they wish--send it back to their family, invest, etc.)

That means before we sell the sandals, the girls have made their money. We use the profits as capital to reinvest into Sseko for buying our materials, hiring more women, developing our training program etc. Our goal is that after working for Sseko for nine months they are able to fund their entire first year of university (college is typically three years.) Once the women are in University they have a much easier time finding work and still have the option to work for Sseko for the remaining two years on a part-time basis to earn additional income.  We then recruit those women who are in University for more career specific positions within our company (fashion, accounting, management, etc) to continue to build professional skills that will assist them and give them a huge advantage once they graduate.  For instance, Mercy, who worked with Sseko for the past nine months making sandals, has now moved into a management role in our company. Once the girls have graduated from University (and we are not here yet, but I can't wait!) we will build our full-time, year-round management team out of those women, and they will be the ones running Sseko and will have options to have ownership opportunities.

We here at Sseko are all extremely passionate about using a traditional for-profit business model to build sustainable incomes, job creation, education and professional opportunities. Business and consumerism are arguably the most powerful forces in our world today.  Every dollar you spend is a vote for the way our world will do business and see our "stuff." We are excited to be a part of a growing movement the uses "patient capital" to combine philanthropy and traditional business models to change the world.

Thanks for asking. Tell your friends. Do it too.
 

Last updated on November 11, 2009 by [Your Name Here]