Path of Paper reycles paper into empowerment!

Path of Paper began in 2007 when Kathryn O'Grady joined the Peace Corps, after graduating from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. As a Peace Corps volunteer Kathryn was stationed in the dusty town of Iganga, in the eastern African country Uganda. While there Kathryn worked with a great non-governmental organization and was introduced to the Gemakumyino Women's Group. It was love at first sight! The women involved in the Gemakumyino Women's Group are hardworking, artistic and were waiting for the opportunity to use their abilities to improve their lives and the lives of their families. Hence, POP was born.
Path of Paper uses recycled paper to create beautiful jewelry, purses, bowls, bracelets etc. These products transform waste into empowerment and income for the lives of women in Iganga, Uganda.
When you buy from POP, you are not only are you buying a beautiful quality item, but you are supporting real women with real needs.
Thanks to our board of directors, UAOWF, and the vast network of women and men worldwide who have helped make this a reality.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

written by:
Kathryn O'Grady

Hey all! 
It has been quite a while since I've updated, but that doesn't mean POP hasn't been making progress and growing. Actually a lot has been shaking!

 On May 11th Path of Paper participated in the annual craft fair at Blair Middle school for the 4th year in a row. ( yikes, has it been 4 years!?) Again we have to thank the dedication and selflessness of Deborah Davis, who invites us to this fair each year and is willing to go outside of the box to engage her students and community. I personally have to thank my mother for (wo)manning this table each year! She risks sun burn and this year, fought high winds in order to generate an income our producers in Iganga. I am always amazed at my mother's dedication to the Gemakumyino Women's Group. She has put in so much time, money and care into this project, all without asking for anything in return. 
I have to give a special shout out to my grandmother who also worked the table this year.  Perhaps our society has gotten soft with time, because my grandmother has more spunk and heart than I. This years fair was the day before Mother's Day and while most mothers and grandmothers were getting ready for a day of flowers with their feet kicked up, the matriarchs in my family were intentionally connecting women and girls internationally. 

Also in the beginning of May we submitted our application to become Fair Trade certified. Cyndi and I worked really hard on this application, and we have all our fingers crossed! We're very confident that POP's methods are fair, ethical, and honor our Peace Corps beginnings, but having the stamp of Fair Trade certification would open a lot of doors for us. One of our continued goals is to increase our marketability in the states, in order to increase the range and depth of our impact for our producers in Iganga. The initial stages of development, while incredibly difficult and challenging for me personally, were also very organic and somewhat obvious. There is a group of women, mostly widows, who live next door to me, and whose need for income and empowerment is apparent. So, with the aforementioned amazing mother and few Peace Corps inspired tricks up my own sleeve we were able to address an immediate need.   Six years later ( am I really that old??), the producers have control and independence in their ability to send shipments, receive payments and have a good understanding of our long and short term goals and abilities. So the time has come to go beyond fixing the immediate need and ask questions about what comes next. We need to create a more secure way to ensure the market for our producers, we need to look beyond their immediate need for money and ask ourselves and them what is needed NOW to continue to empower and improve the lives, and health of our producers and their families. We are listening to what the producers say they need in order to improve their lives, and we are continuing this conversation so that it moves forward ethically, intentionally and effectively. These are needs and opportunities that require a different level of thought and attention. Add this to the fact that I now live 7,000 miles away from our producers and work a full time job, and you can understand why I have to give so much credit to every other amazing woman involved in this organization. So distance and time are our new challenges, but Skype, email and my peace corps memories are our weapons. 

Weather or not we gain fair trade status, we have a few other short term and long term goals on the horizon. Just some of our short term goals include:
 a. posting and selling our products on Etsy. Keep an eye out!
 b. applying for the New York City General Vendors license.  Look out New York; I will be hawking on the streets!
c. improve communication with producers in Iganga, as well as our beloved consumers! Thank you technology.

Longer term we are hoping to find and sustainably switch to a non toxic varnish, which will have a lesser impact on the environment as well as have less of a smell- which is better for everyone! We are always looking for new opportunities and locations to sell POP, and ways in which to better our product. We have a few possible opportunities, but please feel free to chime in if you have any ideas or opportunities! Lastly, and I cannot emphasize this enough, we are working on maintaining and increasing communication with POPs producers. My center of communication in Iganga is Akusa Muguwa, and since day one she has shown incredible drive, forethought and generosity. I would give anything to be able to speak face to face with our group, but since that day is still a ways off, I am using my creative resources to catch up more frequently. It is sometimes surprising how far a quick update will take you. Hence the blog update!
 A special shout out goes to Valerie Kresse who selflessly sells beads in Wisconsin, and Maureen Lewis who continues to be a big supporter. As always thanks to Lisa Lyman-Speckheuer at Eco Trends in Virginia Beach, who currently sells Path of Paper products, next to other amazing international and locally sustainable handicrafts!
A sincere thanks to everyone who has supported Path of Paper: from reading the blog, liking our status' on Facebook or purchasing something at a craft fair; your involvement goes a long way and your support keeps us motivated!

Webale inho. 


To learn more about Fair Trade:
http://www.fairtradefederation.org/

Eco Trends:
http://www.ecotrendsvb.com/




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