A busy week with the Women of Kireka. Today, we celebrated Hadijah (WoK’s business consultant)’s birthday with a delicious cake and a rooster. We also welcomed two American medical students who stopped by to pick out some gifts for their friends back home. Tomorrow, we have what is becoming a photo shoot of epic proportions – i.e. 80 women and children, six PD team members and a couple of visitors (stop by if you’re in town!).
While time left in Kampala is running out, I am excited to see Women of Kireka in such great shape. Together, we have worked towards a structured business – formally registered with a soon-to-be-opened bank account. We have formalized the jewelry making process so that each style comes with set names and prices. We have welcomed a handful of fantastic visitors at our new office near the quarry and have made several significant international sales. The women have used a portion of their jewelry sales to put their children through school (coupled with some kind oversea donations). We have learned a series of lessons, particularly that hand-outs (school fees, medical or otherwise) do very little in the long-run for the well-being of the group. Instead, by solving financial difficulties together, the business is emerging as a profitable and binding player in everyone’s life.
