Mend is a social enterprise geared toward facilitating financial independence and development for vulnerable women in northern Uganda. These women produce high quality bags designed to seam a personal connection between products, their makers and consumers.
The 17 seamstresses supported by Mend are former abductees, who were forced to become child soldiers or wives to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commanders. These women were lucky enough to escape, often with children of their own, but after returning home, were ostracized due to their former affiliation with the rebels. Taken captive at a tender age, many lack a basic education and upon their escape from the LRA, were taken to rehabilitation centers, where they received three months of counseling and basic training in tailoring. With a skill for which an already flooded market exists, many were left without the means to support themselves and their children through a career as a seamstress.
Mend is built to have both sustainable social and financial impact. By providing the seamstresses of Mend more marketable and economically beneficial outlets for their skills, Mend has helped reduce poverty, truly improving the livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable in northern Uganda. With each new bag, the seamstresses improve in skill, versatility and confidence.
