Jabu Bags
PURPOSE/MISSION
For rural Swazi women to have a sustainable source of income, learn new skills, and work to alleviate poverty in their respective communities.
VISION
Jabu Bags is a skill sharing, income-generating project for impoverished women. Local women from rural areas looking for income assistance and wishing to develop new skills to make the bags that are then sold in various countries. By empowering the women through employment, we hope to help poor communities find sustainable forms of income and develop transferable skills that can be used in the workforce.
The project also plans to give part of its profits to the newly established women’s shelter in Swaziland. Domestic abuse is an important issue in the country, and we hope to raise awareness of the issue both domestically and globally. There will also be a skill-sharing program established at the shelter so that women who are healing can learn an employable skill and have the opportunity to save some money while they are there. We hope this will provide them with much needed financially support that they will require once they are ready to leave the shelter.
Principles
•Transparency in business
•Self-sustaining business (runs itself with portion of profits)
•Sustainability of rural community/shelter
•Connecting countries with local Swazi issues (Awareness)
•Skill development leading to possible employment (shelter)
Proposed Budget
$12,000 salary
$1,000 website development
$1,000 business registration
$5,000 sewing materials
$1,000 new hand crank sewing machines
*NOTE: I have allocated $12,000 for a salary because I am finishing my master's and will have to pay back student loans in Canadian dollars. This will allow me to do that and to have a small stipend for myself.
Also note that I am not sure if I am registering the business in Canada or Swaziland so the cost of registration is an approximation.
As of today, 65 bags have been sold, 30 bags are enroute for sales in both Canada and Switzerland, and they are for sale in three stores in both Swaziland and South Africa. I am also speaking with 5 more stores at this time about selling Jabu Bags.
As the project continues to grow so will the need to start new groups and help other communities. Jabu Bags plans on starting a new sewing group in February/March and securing more stores in Swaziland as well as major urban centres in South Africa (Joburg, Durban and Capetown).
Where does the money go?
Profit will be allocated as follows:
25% to the women’s shelter
35% to the business (overhead costs: fabric, zippers, payment to women, shipping, etc).
20% manager salary/owner profit
20% reinvestment in the project (future development: sewing machines, establishing new groups of women)
This year I plan to establish Jabu Bags as a socially responsible business. This will allow the business to grow and expand while ensuring that there is a source of income for the sewing groups.
Having managed to accomplish all that I have in only three months, I feel the future for Jabu Bags is bright and I am looking forward to the upcoming year!