My name is Sophie, I am a fashion designer, entrepreneurship and sustainable development trainer from Belgium.
I came back from working with Mondo in Shianda village, Kenya 2 months ago. The Kenyan experience was amazing and so, I decided to work one more time for Mondo in the EUAV program on another tailoring and sustainable development project, in Uganda.
This project consists of supporting and training 3 groups of tailoring and crafts towards sustainability and independence.
The first group I am working with is called Kampala Disabled Initiative.
They are a group of tailors with physical disability, making it extra challenging for them to grow as a business. However, their motivation and skills have made their team and shop stand up to today even though Covid has been a difficult time for their business.Their shop is based in the capital of Kampala.
Their team consists of 10 tailors (1 man and 9 women), 6 of which are regulars in the project. They make clothes and accessories. You can find their skirts, tote bags, slippers and kitchen sets in Mondo's shop in Estonia.
The second group is called Kikooba ladies with ability.
They are a group of over 25 women weaving baskets under a mango tree in a rural village called Kikooba, about 3 hours away from Kampala.
They are strong, skilled and motivated women, training more and more as they go. Their aim is to help women in their community generate more income for their families.
It isn't easy to find quality basket weavers in Uganda, so I've been told. Mondo has supported them with quality improvement trainings, making their baskets fit for high European standards as well as attractive partners for potential local sellers.
Mondo's shop in Estonia is one of their partners.
The third group is called Lugoro Tutte. In the Acholi language Lugoro means "people with disability" and Tutte means "struggle" in a positive way as in fight to find work and not stay idle. Their motto is "Disability doesn't mean inability". And they are right! A lot of people in Uganda have stigmas about disability, making it difficult for them to find work and be treated as anyone else. This group came together in 1993 to fight against stigmas, show a different image of people with disability, a strong and able image. And to provide tailoring and business skills to others, in the aim of generating income and improving their livelihoods. They are located in Gulu, a city in Northern Uganda, about 8 hours away from Kampala. You can find their stuffed Kitenge animals in Mondo's shop as well.
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