SAME SKY is a fair-trade company whose mission is to empower women worldwide and inspire a movement of women empowering women. Founded in 2008, SAME SKY aims to be a part of the global movement lifting women out of poverty by giving them the tools to become entrepreneurs and lead self sustaining lives.
During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, women were subjected to sexual violence on a massive scale. More than 250,000 women were raped and, of the survivors, approximately 70% were infected with HIV/AIDS (International Criminal Tribunal). Most were left impoverished after their husbands, fathers, and brothers were murdered. SAME SKY was born with the goal of empowering these women to rebuild both their lives and communities.
Our inaugural project is based in Kigali, Rwanda—a country where women have risen to become a leading voice in the peace process and currently hold 56% of the national parliamentary seats. SAME SKY first partnered with Gahaya Links, an organization that employs HIV+ women, all of whom are survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
Having expanded to Zambia in 2011, our team has made great efforts to reach out to one of the world’s most devastating HIV/AIDS afflicted population. More than one in every seven adults is living with HIV in Zambia. Our success in Rwanda made partnering with the Abataka Collective in Lusaka a vision within reach.
The women artisans have been trained to crochet and make bracelets using our unique hand-blown glass beads. They are given a marketable skill and steady employment—two essential factors needed to rebuild their lives and those of their families. SAME SKY’s glass-beaded bracelet design and socially responsible model is inspired by Mary Fisher, an artist, author and speaker who travels the world advocating for those who share her HIV+ status. It was Mary who first taught artisans in Rwanda the crochet technique that we continue to use today.
