Friday, July 30, 2010
"THINGS WE LIKE" FRIDAY: Our ladies
It's true. We love our ladies with all our hearts and it's about time we honored them by having their portraits taken! Here's a sneak peak... more to come!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Our Organic Cotton fabrics
At One Mango Tree, we exist and believe fully in the impact that's made when people are valued, appreciated, and paid well for their talent and energy. This means not only providing our incredible Acholi women with sustainable monthly incomes, school fees for their children, and personal development but also being intentional with the other individual lives behind our supply chain. We want to make every effort possible to use fabrics that will positively impact the world around us and all the organic cotton we use at One Mango Tree is grown without harmful chemicals through the use of eco-friendly farming techniques by farmers in northern Uganda. Thus, it is 100% grown and sewn within Uganda through all levels of supply chain - beginning with the raw organic cotton, continuing with our partners who print our designs on the fresh fabric, to our talented ladies who sew everything at fair-trade wages, ending with your purchase and the way you share & continue the story.
Halle, Gihan, and I, accompanied by the wonderful Butvin family, had a phenomenal experience actually seeing our One Mango Tree fabrics in production this past weekend... and we want to share it all with you!
We took a quick tour to see our brand new fabric being created...
This white organic fabric (above) is woven by powerlooms
using the yarn that began as raw organic cotton.
We were able to watch as a rotary screenprinter
turned the plain white fabric into...
this!
The fabric continues through a dryer and results in this beautiful,
never-ending piece of organic goodness. It makes it's way to our
ladies in northern Uganda who hand-sew and create all of our products.
Pretty incredible, right?
Changing lives from the seed to your very hands.
Halle, Gihan, and I, accompanied by the wonderful Butvin family, had a phenomenal experience actually seeing our One Mango Tree fabrics in production this past weekend... and we want to share it all with you!
We took a quick tour to see our brand new fabric being created...
This white organic fabric (above) is woven by powerlooms
using the yarn that began as raw organic cotton.
We were able to watch as a rotary screenprinter
turned the plain white fabric into...
this!
The fabric continues through a dryer and results in this beautiful,
never-ending piece of organic goodness. It makes it's way to our
ladies in northern Uganda who hand-sew and create all of our products.
Pretty incredible, right?
Changing lives from the seed to your very hands.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Get your Sseko on
Our friend Liz at Sseko Designs is awesome. If you haven't heard yet, we've partnered with her stellar local women/friends in Uganda to create our very own fair-trade One Mango Tree Sseko sandals. To say we're pumped would be an understatement. Read more about what your purchase does here and get yourself a pair right here while they last.
As if we haven't said it enough, we love what Sseko does and we love these sandals. Pick up a pair for every friend and person you love.
A big welcome...
to the Butvin family! Halle's Mom and Dad just arrived for their very first visit to Uganda. If you've ever wondered who was including all those hand-written notes and free goodies in your shipment when you ordered... it's Halle's Mom! Cona Butvin... our customer service and shipping goddess. We had the pleasure of collectively seeing our brand new, organic fabrics being made. Double awesome. Here's a sneak peak at our adventure; come back on Monday when we'll share all the in-depth goodness with you about the fabrics we use. For now, Mr. and Mrs. Butvin, we're so happy to have you both here!
Friday, July 16, 2010
THINGS WE LIKE 'FRIDAY': A BRAND NEW feature.
We thought it'd be neat to introduce you to a brand new feature: One Mango Tree EATS.
It'll be a column teaching you all about the local foods and how they're prepared. Before living in Uganda, I really had no idea what sorts of foods were prepared locally. If you're anything like I was or you've visited a million times, this is for you. We're really excited about it, so sit back and enjoy... or if you're extra-awesome, get out your cooking utensils.
Let's begin! The first we're featuring is one of our favorites. It's local cabbage and long-grain white rice. This will serve 2. Simply double the portions to serve more. Prepare the white rice as directed. Here's how you can make the local cabbage:
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 head of Cabbage
- 1/2 large Tomato
- 1/2 red Onion
- Garlic (1-3 cloves to your liking)
- 4 Tbl. spoons of Olive Oil
- 2 Tbl. spoons of Salt
- 2 Tbl. spoons of Curry powder (or a meat-flavored powder)
*the women use something called "Roico" here
STEP ONE
Slice the head of cabbage into two halves; you will only use one half. Hold the half with one hand and using the other, use a knife in a downward motion to slice the cabbage into thin slivers (they can be long or short but it's very important they are on the thinner side).
STEP TWO
Chop the tomato, onion, and garlic. Drizzle the 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and begin to fry the onion and garlic. (The tomato will be tossed in later.)
STEP THREE
Toss in the cabbage. Cover the pan and for about 2-3 minutes, let the cabbage cook down a bit. Toss in 2 tablespoons of salt and curry/flavoring of your choice. Feel free to add more to taste.
STEP FOUR
As you let it all marinate together, it will continue cooking down. Let it simmer for another 4-5 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Toss in the tomatoes.
Serve alongside the white rice. If it's nearby, the Acholi will DEFINITELY add slices avocado atop the rice and cabbage. Seriously delicious... from the mouth of an American (whatever that means).
Ta da! Pat yourself on the back and chow down... or just continue sitting there. More to come! :)
It'll be a column teaching you all about the local foods and how they're prepared. Before living in Uganda, I really had no idea what sorts of foods were prepared locally. If you're anything like I was or you've visited a million times, this is for you. We're really excited about it, so sit back and enjoy... or if you're extra-awesome, get out your cooking utensils.
Let's begin! The first we're featuring is one of our favorites. It's local cabbage and long-grain white rice. This will serve 2. Simply double the portions to serve more. Prepare the white rice as directed. Here's how you can make the local cabbage:
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
- 1 head of Cabbage
- 1/2 large Tomato
- 1/2 red Onion
- Garlic (1-3 cloves to your liking)
- 4 Tbl. spoons of Olive Oil
- 2 Tbl. spoons of Salt
- 2 Tbl. spoons of Curry powder (or a meat-flavored powder)
*the women use something called "Roico" here
STEP ONE
Slice the head of cabbage into two halves; you will only use one half. Hold the half with one hand and using the other, use a knife in a downward motion to slice the cabbage into thin slivers (they can be long or short but it's very important they are on the thinner side).
STEP TWO
Chop the tomato, onion, and garlic. Drizzle the 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and begin to fry the onion and garlic. (The tomato will be tossed in later.)
STEP THREE
Toss in the cabbage. Cover the pan and for about 2-3 minutes, let the cabbage cook down a bit. Toss in 2 tablespoons of salt and curry/flavoring of your choice. Feel free to add more to taste.
STEP FOUR
As you let it all marinate together, it will continue cooking down. Let it simmer for another 4-5 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Toss in the tomatoes.
Serve alongside the white rice. If it's nearby, the Acholi will DEFINITELY add slices avocado atop the rice and cabbage. Seriously delicious... from the mouth of an American (whatever that means).
Ta da! Pat yourself on the back and chow down... or just continue sitting there. More to come! :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
We are Okay.
If you've caught the news or spoken with friends, it's likely you've heard about the recent terrorist attacks that took place Sunday night in Uganda. 
We, as an organization, are collectively mourning the deaths of 75 local ugandans as well as a dear American friend of ours Nate Henn, who spent the past few years raising funding and awareness for secondary students in Uganda. As many innocent locals and foreigners came together to enjoy the final game of the World Cup, it's reported that Somalian suicide bombers from Al-Shabab (linked with Al Qaida) entered two separate venues and devastated the crowds.
We are appreciative of all of your concerns and so thankful to share that our ladies and staff in Uganda are all very safe. We're just experiencing a glimpse of the heartache this country has experienced in the past but together, we're all hopeful and standing united amidst these painful losses.
In times like these, we're reminded just how greatly needed consistency, love, and sustainability are here. We encourage you to share this story with friends and family and to continue supporting as we pursue employing and empowering these 30 phenomenal women.
If you're interested in reading more about the Kampala terrorist attacks, you can do so here.
With gratitude,
the One Mango Tree team
We, as an organization, are collectively mourning the deaths of 75 local ugandans as well as a dear American friend of ours Nate Henn, who spent the past few years raising funding and awareness for secondary students in Uganda. As many innocent locals and foreigners came together to enjoy the final game of the World Cup, it's reported that Somalian suicide bombers from Al-Shabab (linked with Al Qaida) entered two separate venues and devastated the crowds. We are appreciative of all of your concerns and so thankful to share that our ladies and staff in Uganda are all very safe. We're just experiencing a glimpse of the heartache this country has experienced in the past but together, we're all hopeful and standing united amidst these painful losses.
In times like these, we're reminded just how greatly needed consistency, love, and sustainability are here. We encourage you to share this story with friends and family and to continue supporting as we pursue employing and empowering these 30 phenomenal women.
If you're interested in reading more about the Kampala terrorist attacks, you can do so here.
With gratitude,
the One Mango Tree team
Monday, July 5, 2010
Our FAVORITE Summer Sandals.
We've officially fallen in love... with a sandal that's literally changing lives. That's why we're so excited to team up with Sseko Designs to release our very own One Mango Tree Sseko Sandals! We're releasing FOUR limited-edition colors for you to choose from!
We don't want to spare you any of the goodness:
WHAT ARE SSEKOS? Ssekos are sandals produced by a group of beautiful, intelligent young women in central Uganda that have graduated secondary school and want to continue their education into college/university. When you purchase this sandal, you're directly helping to fund and empower these ladies to become successful lawyers, doctors, and professionals. You are planting a seed. The sandals themselves are incredibly easy and the best part is that you're fully capable of creating your own, unique sandal by tying, twisting, and looping the fabric in different ways. Don't worry! We'll feature some upcoming posts with cute, creative ways to tie your Ssekos.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO? In Uganda's impoverished and male dominated society, to see a woman attend university is a beautiful rarity. Over the past decade, with rising school fees and cultural roles encouraging women to return home to take care of the family, few girls can afford the time or fees to attend university. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. Many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time. Sseko hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These sandals are paving a future for these bright girls.
WHO ARE THE WOMEN THAT MAKE THESE SANDALS? Edna, Mercy, Betty, Harriet, Teddy, Robinah, Teopista: I had the opportunity to spend a day with these ladies and I was absolutely taken aback by the diversity and beauty of these women. You're welcome to learn more about each of them on Sseko's website.
See more of the sandals that are changing lives in our ONLINE STORE.
We don't want to spare you any of the goodness:
WHAT ARE SSEKOS? Ssekos are sandals produced by a group of beautiful, intelligent young women in central Uganda that have graduated secondary school and want to continue their education into college/university. When you purchase this sandal, you're directly helping to fund and empower these ladies to become successful lawyers, doctors, and professionals. You are planting a seed. The sandals themselves are incredibly easy and the best part is that you're fully capable of creating your own, unique sandal by tying, twisting, and looping the fabric in different ways. Don't worry! We'll feature some upcoming posts with cute, creative ways to tie your Ssekos.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO? In Uganda's impoverished and male dominated society, to see a woman attend university is a beautiful rarity. Over the past decade, with rising school fees and cultural roles encouraging women to return home to take care of the family, few girls can afford the time or fees to attend university. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. Many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time. Sseko hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These sandals are paving a future for these bright girls.
WHO ARE THE WOMEN THAT MAKE THESE SANDALS? Edna, Mercy, Betty, Harriet, Teddy, Robinah, Teopista: I had the opportunity to spend a day with these ladies and I was absolutely taken aback by the diversity and beauty of these women. You're welcome to learn more about each of them on Sseko's website.
See more of the sandals that are changing lives in our ONLINE STORE.
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