“One thing that I want to see is the seamstresses planning their Income Generating Activities out ahead of time so they won’t get much challenges – taking them up positively with all their heart.” - Lapat Evelyn, Mend social worker
Happy International Women’s Day from the staff and family of Mend.
Back to school? Check these out.
It’s back to school time & we have you covered. Well your laptop at least. 100% of your purchase supports Invisible Children’s mission.http://invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/
Meet Langee Vicky - a great cook, a Mend seamstress, and an amazing mother & friend. Learn more about Vicky and Mend here.
Meet Anena Grace - she was abducted by the LRA at age 13. She is a mother of two, a seamstress at Mend & the life of the party. Purchase a Mend bag made by Grace for your Mom for this Mother’s Day. 100% of the proceeds go to the Legacy Scholarship Program. Because Mother’s are the best teachers of them all.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner, so in honor of mothers everywhere and the education they work so hard to provide their children, we have decided that 100% of proceeds from select Mend products between now and May 13 will go toward our Legacy Scholarship Program. An investment in education is a way that we can honor mothers all over the world because mothers are our first and greatest teachers. We sat down for a chat with Legacy Scholarship student Collines Angwech to discuss her favorite topic: her mother! Read it here on our blog.
Mend: Land Matters
“Although legal constraints to women’s land ownership [in Uganda] were eliminated in the new Constitution, women are not always aware of their rights and cultural practices inhibit their access to land.”
Read the full piece on how Mend employees are using their rights to create a future for their families.
Follow Mend on Tumblr.
Today we traveled with the Mend team to take Laker Irene’s two children and twin brothers to Gulu Primary, a boarding school. In January of last year Laker passed away, since then Laker’s grandmother has been looking after her family. Today, with the help of Invisible Children, all of the kids are happy to be off to boarding school and we remember Laker’s contribution to the Mend family.
The ladies at Mend love to borrow money. Almost as much as they love to save it. Last Saturday afternoon the Mend family was at the center and the air was filled with rhythms of music from the radio. It was the weekend, and they weren’t there for work, they were there to celebrate the hard-earned interest on their savings over the past ten months. On a monthly basis, the ladies meet to pool a small portion of their incomes to provide each other with access to small low-interest loans. These loans have provided an opportunity for them to start small businesses on the side, like selling produce in the market, and over time they pay back the loan with interest. At the end of the savings period, they met together to divide that interest among themselves, based on how much each had saved. Like a Hollywood awards ceremony, each seamstress’s name was announced and she came forward amidst cheers and applause to claim her reward. Each member of the savings group earned more than 20% interest on her savings. Now that’s a good reason to love saving money. Keep up with the Mend family on Tumbr.
