By Mary Rose Roberts
While shopping at a local boutique
recently, I was introduced to Sseko (say-ko) Designs, a three-year-old nonprofit fashion
company that helps young women in Uganda continue their education. I purchased
a pair of their base sandals offered with straps in multiple colors and patterns
(sold separately). With them came a postcard with
images of the different ways it could be tied.
I liked the idea of the sandals' interchangeable
nature—making the shoes multipurpose—and that my purchase helps women in Uganda
get to the next level. In the country, there is a nine-month gap between
secondary school and college. The time off lets students earn money for
tuition before continuing.
According to their website, Sseko hires women to live and work together during this period, while earning
money that will go directly towards their university education. “These women
will not make sandals forever,” the nonprofit wrote. “They will go on to be
doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and
unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22-year-long war.”
The shoes are made of genuine leather
with a layer of foam in the middle and rubber on the bottom. Straps are made in different kinds of fabrics, including cotton and silk, wrote their live chat
rep, Laura Corder—who was professional and well informed. Fabric batches
vary. Since the company purchases everything in East Africa, it depends on the
market from week to week. However, the leather does come from smaller
tanneries where the cows are raised on local, family farms, as is typical in
that region.
To be honest, I had the sandals about a
month before I got around to tying them. I even tried to cajole Food Editor Anna Fischer Wulff into helping me figure it out. She wanted nothing to do with
it. Finally, I sat down with the video for the twisted slip style.
At first I thought, “What did I get
myself into here?” But with some patience, I quickly tied them. Now that I’ve tied one, I can’t wait to try
my other color, turquoise, in a more complicated pattern.
The company also lets people host Sseko parties.
