Perhaps you’ve noticed Rye’s fashionable women wearing beaded sandals or bracelets around town? Or maybe you’ve seen their dogs sporting brightly colored beaded collars. These women know that the true beauty of these stylish and comfortable products is that they provide East African girls and women with opportunity.
Her Best Foot Forward, a mission-based nonprofit started in 2015, sells handmade items created by female Tanzanian artisans in the Maasai tradition, and 100 percent of the net sales proceeds go directly back to support the mission of Empowering Women & Girls with Dignity and Purpose. These talented women receive a fair wage, a safe, clean place in which to create, and benefits for their families.
In the developing world, a girl can miss up to four days of school each month because she lacks access to basic menstrual hygiene. So, five years ago, Her Best Foot Forward launched UhuruPads, producing Africa’s first 100% compostable sanitary pads. Completely woman-run, enough pads are produced to allow annual donations to nearly 10,000 girls. With the combination of education, undergarments and sanitary pads, these girls can stay in school with confidence and dignity.
To buy sandals or bracelets, visit www.herbestfootforward.com. The dog collars are available at Woof Gang on Purchase Street.
Women helping women, isn’t that beautiful?
