Meet Dorothy Nabakiibi

 
Dorothy visited Global Gifts in 2005 and is representative of the thousands of women who are helped by Global Gifts and fair trade around the world.  Fair trade ensures artisans are paid a fair price for their work and are treated with respect and dignity in the business process.  Approximately 70% of the artisans who create Global Gifts’ items are women.  Fair trade empowers women resulting in better nutrition, housing, and education for women and their children.  Below is a narration of Dorothy's life.

My name is Dorothy Nabikibi, I am 42 years old.  I was born in a family of 8 children, my mother died when I was in primary five so I did not exceed that level of education because my father's income was very little and he spent most of his time serving the church so my mother was the one supporting the family since she was earning much more money than our father.

Since I wasn't going to school anymore I had to get married at the age of 18.  I had four children with my husband but later we separated as he saw and took life in a very different perspective from mine.  He preferred drinking and having fun [more] than looking after his family.  It was from that moment of separation, that I realized I had to find my own source of income to enable me [to] look after m children since their father had neglected them.  This is when I began to learn how to weave and sew because a person of my academic level couldn't be employed any where.  I started weaving baskets which I brought to Uganda Crafts where Madam Betty Kinene could direct me how to perfect my work.

When I gained the skills, I started teaching my children as well.  They made funny shapes in the beginning but Betty encouraged them by buying their baskets even when they were not good enough.  It's from this that they actually learnt good weaving so during holidays they would assist me with weaving and we would make enough money to sustain ourselves.

My children are well behaved and are really interested in their studies.  I am really very proud of them. . . . . I sacrifice the little I get to educate my children and my dream is to see them all graduate and there after have a very bright future ahead of them.

My other dream is that if all goes well, I want to build a house which I would later turn into a hand craft center focusing at teaching women and children who didn't get the chance to go to school how to earn a living through weaving.  There are so many women suffering with their children because their husbands don't look after them yet they married them as house wives who should only live on their husband's wage.

Working with Uganda Crafts [Global Gifts receives Dorothy's baskets through Ten Thousand Villages who in turn receives them from Uganda Crafts.]  has made me learn so many skills in teaching people how to weave and weaving assorted handicrafts.  I have always been among the women Uganda Crafts chooses to travel to different parts in Uganda to teach different groups of people in the basics of weaving . . ..  It is through Uganda Crafts that I have become what I am today.  I think [I] am getting famous and the fact that [I] am travelling to the USA for weaving demonstrations makes me wish a long life for Uganda Crafts and gives more hope to me and what I do best. . . ..  Personally I've been able to manage:

  • paying tuition fees for my children

  • paying rent

  • buying food and clothes

  • [paying] medical bills and many other bills

Lastly I thank every one who has taken their time to engage in the growth of the handicrafts sector in Uganda and I beg Ten Thousand Villages [Global Gifts' trading partner] to continue their support for us as this makes me believe that one day the activity of weaving will be regarded among the most income generating operations.

God bless you all!

Translated in 2005 by Kinene Ninah on behalf of Dorothy Nabakiibi.

 

 

 

 

 

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As a child, Betty Cato Cudjoe dreamt of owning her own business. Now married and with a daughter of her own, Betty is fulfilling her childhood dream as the owner of Betty Wax Batiks. She even jokes about how she will give her husband money when he needs it, instead of the other way around. In return, her husband supports her efforts willingly, often helping when Betty is backed up with orders.

Betty explains that people like wearing batik because of the fabric’s own unique, handmade style. Betty has always been creative and finds her greatest pleasure in developing interesting and unusual designs. She imagines a pattern in her mind, and then she visualizes the complimenting colors. Betty’s biggest challenge stems from producing a color that does not quite match her visualization, but she remains pragmatic. Instead of becoming frustrated, she painstakingly goes over the ingredients she used, and tries to figure out if she added too much of one ingredient, or too little of another. She works at it until she arrives at a high quality color and finished product.

In the future Betty hopes to use her situation to help more women in Cape Coast achieve financial independence by giving them jobs and teaching them how to batik. Now that she has realized her own childhood dream, Betty is focused on achieving the dream she has made for her 1 1/2 year old daughter, who she hopes will one day be a lawyer.

 

 
 

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