Make a Difference When You Buy Our Handmade Tote Bags

So, you wonder if your purchase of a Global Bag Project Handmade Tote Bags makes a difference? Just look at the smiles on Jecinter and Carol's faces. When I met them in 2009, I didn't see those smiles. Yes, they smiled when I greeted them; their mouths formed a grin, but the joy and excitement from within was not evident as it is in this photo taken on one of my trips to Kenya in 2010.

The reason they're smiling? Many reasons, really, but on this particular day, I visited them in their homes, met their children, shared tea, listened to their stories and we prayed for one another. The despair of the past has been replaced with hope for the future – not just for themselves, but for their children. The work they're doing with the GBP is helping them establish their own businesses while providing food for their children as well as paying their school fees.
Thank you for your purchases of our beautiful handmade tote bags this past year that contributed to Jecinter and Carol's smiles and to the lives of their children and the other women who provide the beautifully crafted bags for the Global Bag Project. You DO make a difference!

Each Kenya Bag Has A Story

With the urge to help the needy and impoverished, Karen Mains and some of her friends who shared the same vision started the  Global Bag Project. This ministry effort organized a cooperative bag-making project, better known as Africa Bags, which started in Nairobi,Kenya. Their goal is link that part of the world with us in a pragmatic way. As a result, micro-industries in Kenya, similar to the ones that once dotted the American landscape and supplemented our own economy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, have sprung up, bringing life and hope to hundreds of women in Kenya.

Each bag that made is a symbol of the struggle of a Kenyan woman. Thus, each Kenya bags has a story behind it. Here are some of those stories:

Abandoned by her husband, Jecintere was overwhelmed by the responsibility of taking care of her  baby, Patience. She didn't have ajob. Then she discovered about the Africa Bag program and realized that she could become her own boss. It wasn't long until she was producing Kenya bags, and caring for both herself and little Patience.

An HIV widow and mother of two daughters, Jennifer was rejected by her in-laws after her husband died because she wouldn't marry her husband's brother. Without a home, she left Kibera where she lived, and went to the city to start a new life. She knew of the Africa Bags Project, and found the answer to her prayers.

Hannah is a 37-year-old widow. She is also a single mother of six, ranging in age from 21 down to four, including two sets of twins! She is a hard worker, and in September 2010, she showed just how dedicated she is when Global Bag Project Kenya Project Coordinator Mary Ogalo and I - along with seamstresses Salome and Sophie, who are in the GBP sewing cooperative with Hannah - visited her. Hannah rents a two-room home in the Dagoretti Corner of west Nairobi, one of the city's many low-income neighborhoods.

Creative Kenya bags for Children’s Future

Pride yourself by using our Kenya bags that were made for a purpose - that is to seek a better life. These families were trying to make a living out of these Kenya bags and by helping them, you just provide a brighter future for their kids.

Don’t miss to listen to the story of each bag. When you procure our bags, you provide a sustainable income for women who desire meaningful work and fair wages and dignity through accomplishment. Many, though not all, are HIV/AIDS widows who live with their children in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa. Due to the AIDS pandemic on this continent, orphaned children are raising orphaned children. This is a catastrophe the Global Bag Project team would like to help prevent. In the slums, health care is inadequate; no waste management systems exist. Electricity is erratic. Clean water supplies are scarce and drinking water is often impure. Survival obviously is an every day struggle.

HIV/AIDS widows or not, all our bag-producers seek a better life for their families. Hard workers, often amazingly joyful, each woman takes pride in performing good work, and all are grateful to be able to provide basic necessities for their growing families. With just a little help, hidden entrepreneurial skills begin to rise to the surface. We encourage our bag-producers to find local markets for their products.

Remember these women and their families each time you carry your Global Bag Project Kenya bags

Reusable Kenya bags for sustainable income

It's so wonderful when you're able to make a difference to other people's lives.Help these people and you will be rewarded. Only a little amount and you already feed one of their children. Grab our Kenya bags and be touched by their stories.

Each bag has a story. Listen to it. When you buy our bags, you provide a sustainable income for women who desire meaningful work and fair wages and dignity through accomplishment. Many, though not all, are HIV/AIDS widows who live with their children in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa. Due to the AIDS pandemic on this continent, orphaned children are raising orphaned children. This is a catastrophe the Global Bag Project team would like to help prevent. In the slums, health care is inadequate; no waste management systems exist. Electricity is erratic. Clean water supplies are scarce and drinking water is often impure. Survival obviously is an every day struggle.

HIV/AIDS widows or not, all our bag-producers seek a better life for their families. Hard workers, often amazingly joyful, each woman takes pride in performing good work, and all are grateful to be able to provide basic necessities for their growing families. With just a little help, hidden entrepreneurial skills begin to rise to the surface. We encourage our bag-producers to find local markets for their products.

Remember these women and their families each time you carry your Global Bag Project Kenya bags

Buy Yourself These Kenya Bags and Help a Family

Several families in Africa was suffering from fatal diseases. Parents can't feed their children because of poverty. Be aware of this unpleasant situation and contribute something to help them. Your support can greatly raise and sustain the needs of each family in Africa. Buy these Kenya bags and be touch of their stories.

Know the story of each bag and feel great. When you procure our bags, you provide a sustainable income for women who desire meaningful work and fair wages and dignity through accomplishment. Many, though not all, are HIV/AIDS widows who live with their children in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa. Due to the AIDS pandemic on this continent, orphaned children are raising orphaned children. This is a catastrophe the Global Bag Project team would like to help prevent. In the slums, health care is inadequate; no waste management systems exist. Electricity is erratic. Clean water supplies are scarce and drinking water is often impure. Survival obviously is an every day struggle.

HIV/AIDS widows or not, all our bag-producers seek a better life for their families. Hard workers, often amazingly joyful, each woman takes pride in performing good work, and all are grateful to be able to provide basic necessities for their growing families. With just a little help, hidden entrepreneurial skills begin to rise to the surface. We encourage our bag-producers to find local markets for their products.

Remember these women and their families each time you carry your Global Bag Project Kenya bags.