I love to see brands that incorporate a social agenda into their business model. The Akola Project was created as platform to empower Ugandan women, through training and employment to uplift their families out of poverty.Akola Project’s beautiful handmade jewelry and accessories retail in more than 250 boutiques throughout the United States, and 100% of sales revenues are returned to the women and Akola Project development initiatives, including vocational training centers, clean water wells, and heath initiatives.
This Fall, Akola will join two communities of marginalized women - women emerging from communities decimated by HIV-AIDS and war in Uganda and sexually trafficked women in Dallas, TX - to create a product line to help them generate the resources they need to rebuild their lives. Tragically, as a state with one of the largest borders in the country, Texas is widely considered a major destination and transit state for human trafficking.
To tackle this issue, Akola Project will expand its operations in Uganda to Dallas, to create a product line of clutches that will help formerly trafficked women generate the income they need to get back on their feet. Akola will build a training center to partner with more Dallas
based organizations who are rehabilitating trafficked women
to train the women in industrial sewing.Akola plans to partner with Dallas-based designers who will use the Akola center to employ women who have been trafficked to do their manufacturing, allowing the women who are trained to find sustainable employment and a healthy work environment.
To learn more about Akola's story or to shop the collection, visit http://akolaproject.org.
