Our mission is to create a sustainable source of income for craftswomen in Uganda by connecting their artisanal work to international markets and investing in job skill development.
What started as a simple “Hello”…
Sarah and Arianne, Jinja Prints’ co-founders, met while Arianne was studying abroad in Uganda during the Spring of 2019. Arianne was doing a project on single-use-plastics for her social entrepreneurship class, and it wasn’t until she visited the town of Jinja that she met someone who understood the environmental damages caused by poor waste management systems in the country.
She saw the handmade reusable cloth bags hanging by the entrance to a sidewalk shop. The vibrant colors and intricate African print patterns were visible even from across the dusty street, and Arianne signaled to her friends that she had to make one more stop before getting back on to the tightly packed taxi. She walked in and introduced herself to the shop owner, her name was Sarah. Arianne proceeded to ask about the bags and then later asked to interview Sarah for her project on single-use-plastics. The two discussed Sarah’s back story and how she learned about the importance of environmental protection while studying business in Uganda. This was the first time Arianne had heard about any kind of sustainability practices being taught in the Ugandan education system. Sarah then said she made reusable cloth bags to help bring awareness to this issue around plastic and decrease the amount of pollution to the environment.
After talking for over 20 minutes, the two exchanged WhatsApp and Arianne left with four new bags and a wrap skirt made by Sarah. Energized by their conversation, Arianne pulled direct quotes from their discussion and included Sarah as the centerpiece of her project. However, once she left the country four weeks later, the two lost communication, and Arianne did not know when she would see or talk to Sarah again.
Patterns with a Purpose
This is a movement of billions. Whether you’re most comfortable contributing time to help achieve our advocacy goals, money to help us grow, or energy to put political pressure on our governments to change, we need you on our team.
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