The very first Sseko Summer Intern has landed.
She just sent me an email.
It had a lot of exclamation marks, and self proclaimed dramatics. But it was all happy :)
She has already had a chance to hang out with the Sseko girls.
I am unbelievably excited, with a hint of jealousy.
Will keep you updated on her adventure!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
{confucius et al.}
i am pretty miffed.
i heard a saying today that has got me a little riled up:
"give a man a fish and he eats for a day. teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime"
which is totally ripped off from something i always say which is:
"give a girl in a developing country a fish and she eats for a day. teach her how to make sandals, educate her and empower her so that one day, she owns a business of her own. now she has more self respect, respect from her community and an income. statistics show that she is likely to reinvest 90% of that income back into educating her family, meaning her children are more likely to be healthy, educated and empowered. there are over 600 million young women in developing countries. let's give them more than a fish."
get your own catchy proverbs, confucius.
i heard a saying today that has got me a little riled up:
"give a man a fish and he eats for a day. teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime"
which is totally ripped off from something i always say which is:
"give a girl in a developing country a fish and she eats for a day. teach her how to make sandals, educate her and empower her so that one day, she owns a business of her own. now she has more self respect, respect from her community and an income. statistics show that she is likely to reinvest 90% of that income back into educating her family, meaning her children are more likely to be healthy, educated and empowered. there are over 600 million young women in developing countries. let's give them more than a fish."
get your own catchy proverbs, confucius.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
{ flora and fauna }
last night, i watched Planet Earth with my new husband. (one of our favorite past times)
to celebrate our new life together, we thought we would start back at the beginning of the BBC series.
it starts out at the poles, describing the lives of the animals barely surviving the harsh winter. turns out the mortality rate of baby polar bears is 50%. half of the little guys don't make it through the winter.
then it moves to the rain forest. there is a shot of this hilarious bird, doing this hilarious dance. then he runs around, picking up his living space, making it look nice and tidy.
while i was getting quite a kick out of this, the narrator said something that struck me deeply. he explained that it is because life in the rain forest is plentiful, that the bird has the luxury to dance and decorate. "Because there is enough..."
He then goes on to explain that although the rain forest only occupies a measly %2 of earth's total surface area, it claims %50 of the entire world's animals and plants.
that is astonishing to me.
really astonishing.
those numbers are strikingly similar to some other equally astonishing numbers:
According to World Institute for Development Economics Research, the richest 2% of the adults in the world own more than 50% of all household wealth in the world.
It is not that there is not enough.
World Poverty.
Intrinsically overwhelming.
A seemingly insurmountable issue.
What do you do when there is simply not enough to go around?
I have NO idea.
Luckily, we don't really have to figure that out because there is enough.
There is enough.
I just finished reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, a biography about Paul Farmer, a doctor who works in Haiti and is passionate about the poor.
He explains a Haitian proverb, the Haitian peasants' perspective on poverty and suffering:
"God gives but doesn't share." -- God gives in plenty, but it is the job of his people to divide it up.
There is enough.
What are you doing with your enough?
to celebrate our new life together, we thought we would start back at the beginning of the BBC series.
it starts out at the poles, describing the lives of the animals barely surviving the harsh winter. turns out the mortality rate of baby polar bears is 50%. half of the little guys don't make it through the winter.
then it moves to the rain forest. there is a shot of this hilarious bird, doing this hilarious dance. then he runs around, picking up his living space, making it look nice and tidy.
while i was getting quite a kick out of this, the narrator said something that struck me deeply. he explained that it is because life in the rain forest is plentiful, that the bird has the luxury to dance and decorate. "Because there is enough..."
He then goes on to explain that although the rain forest only occupies a measly %2 of earth's total surface area, it claims %50 of the entire world's animals and plants.
that is astonishing to me.
really astonishing.
those numbers are strikingly similar to some other equally astonishing numbers:
According to World Institute for Development Economics Research, the richest 2% of the adults in the world own more than 50% of all household wealth in the world.
It is not that there is not enough.
World Poverty.
Intrinsically overwhelming.
A seemingly insurmountable issue.
What do you do when there is simply not enough to go around?
I have NO idea.
Luckily, we don't really have to figure that out because there is enough.
There is enough.
I just finished reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, a biography about Paul Farmer, a doctor who works in Haiti and is passionate about the poor.
He explains a Haitian proverb, the Haitian peasants' perspective on poverty and suffering:
"God gives but doesn't share." -- God gives in plenty, but it is the job of his people to divide it up.
There is enough.
What are you doing with your enough?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
{...summer lovin...}
i am pretty thrilled to tell everyone about some exciting summer news for Sseko. think about all the things that make you feel gooey and happy about summer. for me this consists of:
1.) the sandlot
2.) lime popsicles
3.) death defying rope swings on hinkson creek
4.) summer sleds (my first viable invention: a skateboard with a sled duct taped to it--then someone stole my idea AND NAME and started selling it on Nickelodeon, but I digress...)
now, the only thing that is better than a conglomerate of all this summer happiness is....
Sseko's first summer intern...traveling to Uganda!!!
kelley schwartz is the first official international Sseko intern. kelley is a senior at the University of Missouri. she is a little fire-cracker with a heart for traveling, social justice and love.
all things Sseko loves.
she will be going to live in Uganda this summer to help with all things Sseko. we will be keeping you up-to-date on all the exciting happenings (and likely, mishappenings) when kelley embarks on this adventure.
the most exciting part of starting Sseko has been the amount of people who want to be a part of the Sseko movement. artists and excel-types and everything in between. it is fun to see that manifest in people who are excited about being a part of our vision...even if that means hopping continents and getting a couple of immunizations.
it is important as we continue to grow and share our story, that people stay connected to the heart of Sseko. i couldn't be more excited to send kelley to uganda. i am excited about the way she will be changed when she experiences first hand the women and the culture that i have grown to love so much.
it just makes me a happy happy clam to think about the way Sseko is providing opportunities for young, American college students to connect with young, Ugandan, university students.
these bridges are what Sseko is all about.
we invite you to use your paintbrush, your excel-equations and your storytelling to build bridges with us.
Sincerely,
Sseko
1.) the sandlot
2.) lime popsicles
3.) death defying rope swings on hinkson creek
4.) summer sleds (my first viable invention: a skateboard with a sled duct taped to it--then someone stole my idea AND NAME and started selling it on Nickelodeon, but I digress...)
now, the only thing that is better than a conglomerate of all this summer happiness is....
Sseko's first summer intern...traveling to Uganda!!!
kelley schwartz is the first official international Sseko intern. kelley is a senior at the University of Missouri. she is a little fire-cracker with a heart for traveling, social justice and love.
all things Sseko loves.
she will be going to live in Uganda this summer to help with all things Sseko. we will be keeping you up-to-date on all the exciting happenings (and likely, mishappenings) when kelley embarks on this adventure.
the most exciting part of starting Sseko has been the amount of people who want to be a part of the Sseko movement. artists and excel-types and everything in between. it is fun to see that manifest in people who are excited about being a part of our vision...even if that means hopping continents and getting a couple of immunizations.
it is important as we continue to grow and share our story, that people stay connected to the heart of Sseko. i couldn't be more excited to send kelley to uganda. i am excited about the way she will be changed when she experiences first hand the women and the culture that i have grown to love so much.
it just makes me a happy happy clam to think about the way Sseko is providing opportunities for young, American college students to connect with young, Ugandan, university students.
these bridges are what Sseko is all about.
we invite you to use your paintbrush, your excel-equations and your storytelling to build bridges with us.
Sincerely,
Sseko
Monday, May 18, 2009
{...mos happiness!...}
more exciting news!
we are on the first leg of the e-commerce journey...
...meaning...
you can buy Ssekos online!
we are up and running with PayPal, which means you can pay either through your own Pay Pal account or with a credit card.
We are nearing the end of this first batch of sandals, so if you like any of the current patterns, get them while they're here!!
we are on the first leg of the e-commerce journey...
...meaning...
you can buy Ssekos online!
we are up and running with PayPal, which means you can pay either through your own Pay Pal account or with a credit card.
We are nearing the end of this first batch of sandals, so if you like any of the current patterns, get them while they're here!!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
{...oh joy!!...}
this made my day yesterday:
walking through the parking garage to get to the bank and i was stopped by two 9 yr old (ish) boys. their joy was BUBBLING over as they both (simultaneously) told me about how they just found two four leaf clovers. and something about how they chased a chipmunk ("did you know chipmunks are good luck?!?! well they are.") and it lead them to the four leaf clovers!!! before i could say much they were off to go use their good luck.
oh man. it just literally made my day.
THEN today, I got a little four leaf clover of my own, in my inbox.
Tyler sent a little video of the Sseko girls.
they are getting ready to apply to university...(YAY!!!) and we decided that as a bonus to reward them for all their awesome work, we would pay for their application fee...
this was their response:
oh joy!
Sincerely,
Sseko
P.S. At one point Tyler's computer told him the video would upload in 6 days. Oh, Uganda :)
walking through the parking garage to get to the bank and i was stopped by two 9 yr old (ish) boys. their joy was BUBBLING over as they both (simultaneously) told me about how they just found two four leaf clovers. and something about how they chased a chipmunk ("did you know chipmunks are good luck?!?! well they are.") and it lead them to the four leaf clovers!!! before i could say much they were off to go use their good luck.
oh man. it just literally made my day.
THEN today, I got a little four leaf clover of my own, in my inbox.
Tyler sent a little video of the Sseko girls.
they are getting ready to apply to university...(YAY!!!) and we decided that as a bonus to reward them for all their awesome work, we would pay for their application fee...
this was their response:
oh joy!
Sincerely,
Sseko
P.S. At one point Tyler's computer told him the video would upload in 6 days. Oh, Uganda :)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
{...happy feet...}
a new, happy, morning on the Sseko front!
Sseko sandals are finally, actually, really for sale!
last night was awesome. i sat around a house with lots of friends, trying on sandals, looking at pictures of the Sseko girls in Uganda. we laughed about how fiery Rebbecca is and Mercy's funny way of saying, "Oh my!" to just about everything.
i just can't tell you how exciting it is, to see others get excited about the very thing i am so passionate about. my friend Molly, oh gosh, she just gets so excited about the vision of Sseko. she wore her new shoes last night and at one point squealed with delight and said,
"oh! i feel like they are a part of me! i feel like i know these girls!"
we kind of laughed at Molly in her squeals of delight, but really, what she expressed is something that speaks volumes about the way we want to change the way people see their "stuff".
we all know people have the propensity to be quite attached to their stuff. it's why people park their fancy cars in the back of the lot where no one will scratch it. it's why awkward tension exists between roommates when she asks to borrow that one dress. it is why the American consumer is arguably one of the most powerful forces in our world right now.
we protect our "stuff" because they tell people a lot about who we are. we feel connected to our belongings sometimes to the point where they feel like a part of ourselves.
what if we strove, not necessarily to get rid of that connectedness, but to change why we feel that way? last night, Molly was so proud of those sandals. and she felt connected to them, attached to them, because she knows exactly how her wearing those sandals is directly changing the lives of Mercy, Mary, and Rebbecca. she knows the story of her stuff, and she is proud of it.
our website should be up and running really soon, but until then, if you want to get your Ssekos (we only have about 60 left in the states!) for $40, you can email me at Liz@ssekodesigns.com with your shoe size, address and color choice, and we can send them to you right away!!
here is a look at what we have a currently have available...
keep in mind that these will change, as the fabrics are never the same at the local market...so if you see one you like, get it while we have it!!
{popeye green}
{brown}
{orangeburst}
{red}
{black}
Sseko sandals are finally, actually, really for sale!
last night was awesome. i sat around a house with lots of friends, trying on sandals, looking at pictures of the Sseko girls in Uganda. we laughed about how fiery Rebbecca is and Mercy's funny way of saying, "Oh my!" to just about everything.
i just can't tell you how exciting it is, to see others get excited about the very thing i am so passionate about. my friend Molly, oh gosh, she just gets so excited about the vision of Sseko. she wore her new shoes last night and at one point squealed with delight and said,
"oh! i feel like they are a part of me! i feel like i know these girls!"
we kind of laughed at Molly in her squeals of delight, but really, what she expressed is something that speaks volumes about the way we want to change the way people see their "stuff".
we all know people have the propensity to be quite attached to their stuff. it's why people park their fancy cars in the back of the lot where no one will scratch it. it's why awkward tension exists between roommates when she asks to borrow that one dress. it is why the American consumer is arguably one of the most powerful forces in our world right now.
we protect our "stuff" because they tell people a lot about who we are. we feel connected to our belongings sometimes to the point where they feel like a part of ourselves.
what if we strove, not necessarily to get rid of that connectedness, but to change why we feel that way? last night, Molly was so proud of those sandals. and she felt connected to them, attached to them, because she knows exactly how her wearing those sandals is directly changing the lives of Mercy, Mary, and Rebbecca. she knows the story of her stuff, and she is proud of it.
our website should be up and running really soon, but until then, if you want to get your Ssekos (we only have about 60 left in the states!) for $40, you can email me at Liz@ssekodesigns.com with your shoe size, address and color choice, and we can send them to you right away!!
here is a look at what we have a currently have available...
keep in mind that these will change, as the fabrics are never the same at the local market...so if you see one you like, get it while we have it!!
{popeye green}
{brown}
{orangeburst}
{red}
{starboard}
{black}
{tea time}
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