Meet Prisca

Photos taken by Nicole Daniels and cross-posted from Storm the Mighty.

Prisca also works at One Mango Tree's Gulu workshop - in fact, she runs the show. We were able to visit her home with Jenn and Kaben, an American couple who lives and works at the One Mango Tree compound in Gulu. I wish I had more photos of Prisca to share with you but she hid in the kitchen cooking for us the entire time. We went outside and played with all of the neighborhood kids, who love to spend time at Prisca and Charles house (especially now that they have electricity and a TV!).

Prisca was so sweet, it was about to downpour and she offered to let all five of us stay with her and her family for the night. Maybe an offer we should’ve taken her up on. We all drove home in the pouring rain, in the dark, over the worst potholes on a dirt (mud) road with lightening on motorcycles. Boda Brad drove both me and my friend Joelle on his bike and Kaben and Jenn were on another. I was sandwiched between Brad swearing up a storm and Joelle praying out loud behind me. Definitely one of my most memorable days in Gulu!

Check out some photos of Prisca and her family, below.

Cynthia, Prisca's daughter

Isaac, Prisca's son (left) and the kids crowd Charles, Prisca's husband (right)

Prisca, standing next to the dish-drying rack in her compound

Meet Monica

Cross-posted from Storm the Mighty, from their recent visit to One Mango Tree in Gulu.

During our week long stay with One Mango Tree we were able to visit the homes of three of the seamstresses. Our first stop was to see Adokorach Monica and her sweet boys. We sat under a tree outside of her home. The dirt path was perfectly swept, I didn’t want to walk anywhere and ruin it. Favorite moment of the day: one of the boys saw that I was excited to see the chickens and he made a crazy chicken call and they came running to him! It was a beautiful moment - I’m still working on my chicken call!

Storm the Mighty visits One Mango Tree

Cross-posted from Storm the Mighty, by Brad and Nici Daniels

One Mango Tree. A “social entrepreneurship” aiming to provide opportunity and rehabilitation for women who were victimized by the LRA. The LRA or “Lord’s Resistance Army” is a group of rebels and are responsible for Africa’s longest running armed conflict. Led by Joseph Kony, the group has terrorized East Africa causing over 2 million people to be displaced from their homes and live in military guarded refugee camps.

“One Mango Tree uses a fair trade model to provide income generating opportunities for women in impoverished and conflict-ridden areas of the globe.”

We were so excited to arrive in Gulu, Uganda to see first hand the work of One Mango Tree and these amazing women! They were so sweet and so welcoming… and did I mention talented? You can order some of their products here at their online shop.

These two lovely Mzungus (white folk) are Jenn and Kaela! We stayed with Jenn, her husband Kaben and Kaela while we were in Gulu and did not want to leave them at the end of the week! Miss you guys ;)

One Mango Tree also provides a financial class for the women to teach them to budget, save and manage their money.

And here they are… the ladies of One Mango Tree! When you make a purchase, you’ll be given a tag with the name of the woman that made that item and you can find her photo on the website!

Keep your eyes out for these new fall bags from One Mango!

Sizzling Hot - our July Giveaway is here!

@MommysMoments was the lucky winner of our June Giveaway - but if you missed it, don't worry, you can pick up the Party Dress at only $38 with free shipping through this Saturday, July 9th! Hurry! Now, drumroll please...

Summer is in full swing, and it's HOT! To keep one lucky customer cool, we're sending out a pair of our much-loved Sseko Sandals in our *sizzling hot* red tribal print - $42 value! 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 these sandals, 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. Check out this video for ideas.

To win these great Sseko Sandals, all you have to do is help us spread the word about One Mango Tree. Here's how to do it:

1. Mention us on Twitter
2. Mention us in your Facebook status
3. Talk about One Mango Tree on your blog
   

If you mentioned us on Twitter, you're all set, if it's a Facebook or blog post, leave a comment here so we can find it and enter you. EACH ENTRY COUNTS, so the more you tweet, the more chances you have to win! Thanks for the love!

Free Shipping: Independence Day!

Yeah, that's what we said! We're big fans of freedom and independence, and taking the time to really celebrate what that means. When the pool parties, BBQs and fireworks come to a close, hop online to shop your favorite One Mango Tree products - and enjoy FREE SHIPPING on every order shipped in the US. All. Week. Long.

Don't wait, because this sweet deal ends at midnight on July 9th.