Sadly, the last decade has brought a lot of hurt to Zimbabwe: rising unemployment, staggering inflation, food shortages, increased HIV/AIDS infection rates, millions of orphans, heartbreaking life expectancies, political violence, and uncertainty. But we know that positive change is possible. We know that small steps are important.
So, 2 women in the US partnered with 5 women artists in Zimbabwe to create Zimbags.
Purpose
The guiding mission of Zimbags is to empower Zimbabwean women to rise above extreme poverty. We believe it is every person’s right to have the opportunity to earn living wages and better herself, her family, and her community. Thus, our goal as an organization is to teach women sustainable skills and create job opportunities that will ultimately improve their quality of life.
Operations
Initially we will select women of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe based on their need, leadership potential, and artistic ability. We will assist these women in obtaining the supplies necessary for them to create beautiful, eco-friendly canvas bags that celebrate their history and culture. We will also teach them entrepreneurial skills as we open the United States market to their products. Through the sales of Zimbags products in the United States, we will increase awareness of the extreme poverty facing the women of Zimbabwe.
Long-term Goals
At Zimbags, we believe in the power of education to fight against extreme poverty. As such, we will support the continuing education of our participants and their dependents. We will also partner with our participants towards community development, HIV/AIDS education, nutritional education, and personal financial responsibility.
The guiding mission of Zimbags is to empower Zimbabwean women to rise above extreme poverty. We believe it is every person’s right to have the opportunity to earn living wages and better herself, her family, and her community. Thus, our goal as an organization is to teach women sustainable skills and create job opportunities that will ultimately improve their quality of life.
Operations
Initially we will select women of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe based on their need, leadership potential, and artistic ability. We will assist these women in obtaining the supplies necessary for them to create beautiful, eco-friendly canvas bags that celebrate their history and culture. We will also teach them entrepreneurial skills as we open the United States market to their products. Through the sales of Zimbags products in the United States, we will increase awareness of the extreme poverty facing the women of Zimbabwe.
Long-term Goals
At Zimbags, we believe in the power of education to fight against extreme poverty. As such, we will support the continuing education of our participants and their dependents. We will also partner with our participants towards community development, HIV/AIDS education, nutritional education, and personal financial responsibility.
Additionally, we hope to improve the healthcare available to our participants and the sanitation/disease control in their communities. As we grow, we look forward to seeing many women “graduate” from our organization to self-sufficiency, while subsequently expanding our participant group.
Vision
As an organization we aim to earn the respect of the communities in which we work, as well as that of those who purchase our participants’ products.
As the women in Zimbabwe grow in health through sustainable jobs and living wages, their community and country will follow.
*****
Vision
As an organization we aim to earn the respect of the communities in which we work, as well as that of those who purchase our participants’ products.
As the women in Zimbabwe grow in health through sustainable jobs and living wages, their community and country will follow.
*****
We call ourselves the Happy Bag Elves, because we love what we do. We love sewing the artwork on bags, we love receiving shipments of new art from Zimbabwe, we love selling the bags, we love telling the stories of the women artists we work with, we love seeing Zimbags out and about doing their thing, and we love spreading the word about positive change. This work makes us happy.
Come along with us!
Meghan & Lauren
Siphiwe, Caroline, Alice, Nomvula, & Ntando
