A few years ago I wrote a college textbook on business ethics in the fashion industry.  Although the idea of fashion and ethics may seem like an oxymoron to many, there actually are many fashion companies built around the idea of “doing good.” In fact, Social Entrepreneurship has become a popular business model for both start-ups and established multi-million dollar corporations who are building entire programs around social consciousness. That being said, the key for a successful model is actually doing good rather than just talking about doing good.  Kwagala Project is definitely doing good; in other words, they walk the walk. 

As a Professor in Fashion Studies at Columbia College Chicago I knew I was meant to be involved with Kwagala from the minute I met Kristen and saw the beautiful jewelry the girls in Uganda produced.  I also knew I had to get students involved!  What a perfect way to blend fashion and doing good; something many students are not exposed to, or even think about, in their academic experiences. Working with the Kwagala Project also gave me the opportunity to show students the power of ME…that’s ME as in the Multiplier Effect, which demonstrates how one person’s actions will quickly and positively influence entire communities!

In the fall, we started with one student who brought the Kwagala jewelry to campus to share with the student fashion organization.  Selling the jewelry as a philanthropic project generated interest across campus and the jewelry soon found its way into many class projects.  In the Entrepreneurship class, students told the Kwagala story and sold the jewelry to raise money for their “business”.   The Visual Merchandising class recognized the beauty of the products and the Kwagala mission, and featured both in their semester-long project which culminated with a display window.  At the end of fall semester, the Entrepreneurship project was selected as one of the exhibits in the Hokin Senior Exhibit which showcases outstanding Senior projects.

This semester the energy around Kwagala continues as the senior capstone class in Fashion Studies has partnered with them.  Students in that class reached out to Mentor Mob, a Chicago-based start-up, and the #iempower project was born.  Once the Social Media campaign started, and the Tweets were being Tweeted, the Columbia/Kwagala partnership went world-wide and was featured on CBS2 Chicago!

Of course the most important aspect of all of this is the difference that Kwagala makes in the lives of girls in Uganda.

Looking back on this school year and reflecting on both successes and failures, the partnership I have had with Kwagala has hands down been one of the most rewarding experiences in my teaching career; and for some of my students, I have seen it become a life-changing experience.  Students today want to see the relevance of their classroom work as it relates to professional growth and applicability to their future careers.  All of the projects with Kwagala have provided them with those lessons while also teaching them the importance of doing good.  As we move forward with the inspiration from Kwagala that this school year has given us, I can hardly wait to see what the future brings!

- Julie Hillery, Ph.D.  Professor,  Fashion Students, Columbia College Chicago

If you’ve been on our Facebook page lately or follow us on Twitter, (and if not, please do) more than likely you’ve seen the images from the #IEMPOWER campaign.  Having people print out, write down, and share what they empower was the brainchild of Hannah Kardux, a Columbia College student who, along with her group members, was assigned the task of creating a social awareness campaign for Kwagala Project.

They’ve done a great job.  It has brought awareness to human trafficking for sure.  And from what I’ve observed, the question itself has evoked a fair amount of consideration.  What Do You Empower?

The answers have been moving – everything from strength, hope, and freedom to friends, family, and community.  A second grader in Iowa wrote that he empowers good grades; a survivor in Uganda wrote that she empowers courage, and Corey Wootton, Defensive End for the Chicago Bears wrote that he empowers perseverance.

Just as she was about to write on her template, my 11-year-old daughter asked, “Wait, what does empower mean, again?  It’s like inspire, right?”  I told her yes, something you enable or help make happen.  And with that, she wrote down “creativity”!  Awesome.

A thoughtful awareness campaign is always accompanied by a compelling call to action.  Our friends at the Chicago-based company, MentorMob, are sponsoring Columbia’s effort to segue awareness into measurable results. The goal is simple: together we hope to raise $10,000 for our girls’ school requirements through the sales of custom #IEMPOWER bracelets.  This is where you come in.

The purchase of:

• 1 $5.00 bracelet = 1 backpack
• 4 $5.00 bracelets = 1 backpack + supplies
• 10 $5.00 bracelets = 1 backpack + supplies + uniform + books
• 50  $5.00 bracelets = 1 backpack + supplies + uniform + books + 1 school term

No doubt you already empower a lot of goodness.  Add a bracelet to the list (and your wrist) and help us continue empowering strength, hope, freedom, courage, good grades, perseverance, creativity, plus a million other life-giving things.  100% of the procedes go directly to our girls.

We are empowering gratitude right now!

Click here to download The #IEMPOWER template

Click here to empower bracelet sales: http://www.kwagalajewelry.org/

Thank you Columbia, MentorMob, and everyone who participates in this awesome campaign!  To see more #iempower images, follow us on instagram.com/kwagalaproject or #iempower.

- Kristen

I’ve always had a desire to help other people. It is through my school that I was able to pursue this interest. My high school, Sage Hill School, offers a community service program called Service Learning, which designates time for students to work in groups under the guidance of a faculty member. The groups pick a cause they are passionate about and design a plan for the year. After learning about human trafficking in her International Relations class, my friend and fellow group member Francesca D’Agostino suggested it as the topic of our Service Learning Project. We set out with two goals: to raise awareness and to raise funds.

To raise awareness we screened a documentary entitled The Price of Sex in the theater at our school. The documentary highlights the rampant presence of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Eastern Europe. The main purpose of showing the documentary was to expose some members of our community to the atrocities of human trafficking. In my opinion, the issue doesn’t get enough exposure here in Orange County because it is not as obvious and apparent as it is in other parts of the world. With the documentary, we were able to provide a tangible representation of human trafficking and its devastating effect on individuals and communities. Many members of the audience felt compelled to help and offered donations, which we accepted and gave to a local Orange County organization affiliated with rehabilitating victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Kwagala Project is an organization that rescues victims from the sex trade and provides them with a safe home, vocational training, education and counseling to help rehabilitate them and enable them to live life on their own terms. My mother, who works for a company involved with Kwagala, told me about the Project and put me in touch with some members. Lauren Willis, a coworker of my mother who actively works with Kwagala gave us some direction and guidance as to what we could do as young people to contribute to the cause. She provided us with a large amount of jewelry made by the girls at the safe houses in Uganda. The production and sale of the jewelry is an important part of the girls’ rehabilitation; it provides the girls with a sense of purpose and self worth while teaching them a skill and providing a source of income.

Every year, my school hosts a MultiCultural Fair, an exhibition of foods and performances that provides a glimpse into the diverse cultures of the world. We saw the Fair as a great opportunity to sell the jewelry and promote awareness of Kwagala Project and human trafficking in general. We contacted the Fair’s Committee and secured a booth to represent Kwagala Project. Throughout the Fair, hundreds of people came up to our booth to buy jewelry and talk about Kwagala. Nearly every single individual we talked to was interested in helping the girls in some way. It was a truly heartwarming experience to witness the compassion and eagerness to participate displayed by those at the Fair. These interactions served as a reminder to us that although there is no simple or easy solution to this issue, there is a powerful and motivating sense of righteousness and the desire to fight injustice within all of us.

Working with Kwagala Project has embedded in me the idea that we, as individuals and as a community, are capable and have a duty to help others. For me, Kwagala Project and everyone involved have served as a testament to our inherent sense of compassion and drive to help those in need. Moving forward with my life, I hope to capitalize on the new opportunities presented to me as a young adult. No matter where the future takes me, I plan on living a life centered around improving the lives of others and promoting selflessness and activism within my community.

- Tom Fenner

Mention Kwagala and ‘high tech’ probably isn’t the most immediate thing that comes to mind.  Understandable.  At first blush, a grassroots NFP has little in common with cloud computing aggregators and software developers.  After looking more closely, however, a common thread could be seen weaving itself throughout the exhibit halls of TechWeek – the desire to use technology in a way that makes the world a little smaller, a little more efficient, or a little more fun.

Intrigue was replaced with admiration when people learned how Kwagala Project and our sponsors are using technology to help bridge the chasm between cultures and build international friendships at the speed of bandwidth.  As a result, several more companies were inspired and asked how they, too, could help.  By the end of TechWeek the use of technology not only made the world a little smaller, more efficient, and more fun, but ironically, a lot more human!

As we all know, there are different styles of learning. Some people learn best through seeing, some through hearing, and others through moving, doing, and touching.  For those who happen to be in the latter category, the tactile/kinesthetic learners, the Ugandan school system, which is structured predominantly around note taking and memorization, is not likely to inspire.  The by-product is often heart-breaking frustration and poor test results. This was the case with Jackie.

After her third failed attempt to graduate the fifth grade, Jackie’s confidence was shattered. For a while, the blow threatened to eclipse all of the personal strides she’d made in her recovery. We couldn’t let that happen. Though we were proud of her perseverance and dogged determination, it was obvious that a different track would better suit Jackie’s needs. She was presented with several alternatives – one of which was a one year hairdressing course at the Gulu War Affected Training Center.

Jackie jumped at the chance. She’s always enjoyed braiding and styling her sisters’ hair at the Total Impact House.   Fiona and JoAnn, two of our newer girls – also good candidates for vocational training – were accepted into the program as well.  The three of them just completed their first term.

Already, the changes are nothing short of miraculous. The switch has been flipped. For the first time in their lives they believe in themselves and feel proud about their educational accomplishments.  Jackie, who once sat in the back of the classroom to escape negative attention, is now a leader in her new school. Numerous times, teachers have expressed how impressed they are with all of them. The girls love going to school.

At the end of the day, the three of them walk through the gate with huge smiles on their faces excited to tell (and show) everything they learned at school that day. Everyone benefits!

It’s thrilling to see the girls thrive both at home and in school.  We’re eager to see where their new skills will lead them in the near future.

Gulu War Affected Training Center from Kwagala Project on Vimeo.