To celebrate World Fair Trade Day on May 11th, we are throwing a party – a party with SOLE!
One World Market is teaming up with Sole Hope, an amazing organization changing lives in Uganda, to host a Cutting Party. Not familiar with a Sole Hope Cutting Party? Here to tell you all about it and a bit more about what Sole Hope it working to accomplish, is one of our amazing Volunteers and Certified Fair Trade Warrior Diana!
Take it away Diana:
Last month, I had the pleasure of staying at the Sole Hope guesthouse in Jinja, Uganda. While there, I was able to talk to the interns and staff and learn more about the incredible work Sole Hope is doing in Uganda.
The guesthouse is just part of the Sole Hope story, which began when Asher Collie saw a video (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajdVs3s2k3U) about the jigger problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Jiggers (NOT the chiggers we know here in the South) are small parasitic sand fleas that burrow into skin and lay eggs, causing painful wounds in infected people. Jiggers often find their way into the bare feet of children and adults in Uganda, making it difficult and painful to walk, play, or go to work or school. Jiggers can also cause infections like gangrene and tetanus, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Image: Sole Hope
Inspired by what she saw, Asher, her husband Drü, and their three children, moved from Asheville, NC to Jinja to become a part of the solution. Now, everyday in Uganda, big green vans emblazoned with the Sole Hope logo drive to villages to perform foot-washing clinics, where staff and volunteers work to wash villagers’ feet and remove jiggers.
Image: Sole Hope Instagram/Gary Chapman
The worst cases of jiggers are taken to the Outreach House in Jinja. Here, they receive needed medical care, plus education about jigger prevention. As a teacher, I love the education piece of the Sole Hope mission. Simply removing jiggers and washing feet is a short-term solution. Teaching people how to prevent jiggers is a long-term solution.
Image: Sole Hope Instagram
When kiddos and adults leave the Sole Hope outreach house, they get a brand new pair of shoes to protect their feet from jiggers. This is where WE come in! The shoes that each person receives are made from recycled jeans! Volunteers around the world cut and donate old jeans to be made into shoes to empower people in Uganda to live a healthier life! PLUS, the shoes are handmade by fairly paid Ugandans in a factory on the Sole Hope campus in Jinja! The #fairtradewarrior in me loves that part of the Sole Hope mission! Simply giving a kid a pair of shoes is a short-term solution. Giving people sustainable and fairly paid jobs is a long-term solution.
Image: Sole Hope Instagram/Kayla Cervenka
So, we hope you’ll join us this Saturday, World Fair Trade Day, to be a part of the long-term solution! Bring some old jeans to One World Market’s first-ever Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party! You’ll be supporting a great organization and empowering some pretty amazing people in Uganda!
Image: Sole Hope Instagram/Mary McLeod
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