Our artisans are the soul of SAWA SAWA, they are our passion and our purpose. They give us, the founders, a reason to live a life we can be proud of. They allow us to pass on our values to our daughters, live by example, preserve a beautiful, rich culture and empower the current and next generation of empowered women. We believe that empowering a woman solves most of the problems facing Africa as a continent and micro communities in individual countries. We love what we do. We are humbled by our calling. We couldn’t be who we are without the wonderful, talented, hardworking artisan women welcoming us into their lives, homes, circles and communities. We don’t take it lightly. We are grateful. Truly. Anne and Kate.

Our artisans create one of a kind accessories, bags, baskets and more by hand. It is a labor of love. Our mission is to empower them to make a living using skills they already have. We believe in starting where you are with what you have. Our partnership creates a global sustainable, eco brand available in major retail stores. We are at awe of what we as women have achieved together. We learn from the women every day in many ways, from ways of old to simple solutions to today’s life problems. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds and share it with the people that have followed us on this journey.

Our secondary mission is reproductive health education and menstrual kits for girls. To empower the next generation of strong, independent women, we need to keep girls of today in school. We need to invest in education, knowledge and opportunities for girls. We understand that period poverty is a hindrance to a consistent education. As such, our team teaches girls about the changes happening in their bodies and arms them with the resources to deal with menstruation. This gives them dignity, privacy and safety.

We partner with other nonprofits to bring clean water to villages either by digging wells or harvesting rain. We work with local nonprofits and health care centers to provide medical camps for the women. We support drought relief among other services requested by the women. Our role is to be a helping hand that creates opportunity for the women to author and own their own solutions to the myriad of problems that affect them and their communities.

We are so grateful to all our donors, grantors, shoppers, volunteers, friends and supporters. We couldn’t be us without you! Thank you for supporting our artisan communities, our brand and our mission.