Is tying your shoes the best part of your day? Then this news will make your LIFETIME! When you buy a customizable pair of Sseko sandals, not only are you helping Ugandan women go to college, but you have a bazillion possible ways to tie your shoes. I mean, look at this:
Sseko
Basically, you cough up $55-60 for a pair of ethically sourced leather soles and organic cotton ribbons in your choice of colors. The footbeds have five different loops, so you could theoretically spend the rest of your natural life tying the ribbons in different ways. (Gladiator! T-strap! Flip-flop!) Not only does this hopefully quell some of your thirst for new shoes, smashing mindless consumption, but the fair-trade sandals give East African women better access to higher education.
As Sseko explains, the nine-month gap between high school and college in Uganda is intended to give students a chance to earn some school funds. But 70 percent of Ugandan women live below the poverty line, and they don’t have a lot of job opportunities, so college becomes prohibitively expensive. (According to 2004 World Bank statistics, only 2 percent of Ugandan women go to college.) Women who make Sseko sandals in Uganda get a fair wage and a better shot at affording a university education.
Plus … your feet look pretty! Tie away, sailor.
