Straps and Souls

Uganda Day 86

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a company called Sseko.

Sseko shoes is an organization that helps Ugandan girls fresh out of secondary school earn enough money to pay for the first year of university by making sandals. Sseko works with a specific secondary school outside of Kampala and employs about nine girls for each 9 month period. The way that the Ugandan school system works is that primary through secondary school calendars run February to November and then the University calendar runs, like ours, September to April with 9 months built in so that students can earn some cash for school fees. (School loans are practically non-existent here) Anyhow, Sseko steps in an gives these girls, who have aspirations to further their education, the opportunity to work and earn the money for the first year with opportunities for further employment and scholarship. One of the cool aspects about this company lie in their goal to eventually, on the Ugandan side, be totally Ugandan run (but since their main market is western there will always be some design logistics done by a westerner). They have only been in business for about 2.5 years and have a full time staff of about 30 in Uganda and the two owners, in the states, act as salesmen and all the other fun stuff.
So the question, why women? The thought behind that lies within the saying,

"If you educate a boy, you educate and individual, but if you educate a girl, you educate a nation (or the future)."

And the train of thought that follows: a woman will pass her education on to her children or will at least push for her children to be educated. Another reason, education seems to be one of the best forms of birth control. An educated woman is more interested in achieving something herself than she is in just having babies. Especially in a society that is so male dominated like Uganda a program like this is unique, epic, and cutting edge. If a family has money to send one child to university, it is going to be a son. For a son has the responsiblity to provide for his parents whereas a girl, once she is married, is more responsible to her husband's family (traditionally, mind you. Things are changing here like everywhere else but...tradition and culture still hold strong). A boy would also be in the work world longer for he will not stay home with children after they are born. In theory, he has a better return on investment. But does he?
Sseko makes sandals. The soles of their shoes have five loops through which one passes a straps of fun colors. They are pretty cute. I did, indeed, buy myself a pair.

{Soles..}

Sseko is not a Christian ministry. They do not claim to bring glory to Christ through their organization. It was just a revelation for me. We have spent so much time talking about ministries and sustainability and the success or lack there of in ministry.
{And Straps.}

But this is a dichotomy that I'm not sure where it falls. Its like this semester, I came to Africa and I am not doing missions. Does that happen? Apparently it does. So then I have to ponder...can God get the glory from a company, an organization that does not set out to glorify him? I feel that he can. If even one girl gives him glory for the opportunity that is more than enough. And even if no one does, can God get glory out of the coincidental good that happens in his world? I say he must.


To God be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.