Empowering Gogos- Enabling Families

Skills and Business Opportunities

This initiative is the heart and the namesake of JAbU. Here we teach grandmothers (or "Gogo"s in siSwati) how to crochet and provide income opportunities.

Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS rate per capita in the world. On rural homesteads, one often finds children raising their siblings or grandmothers raising their grandchildren. JAbU encourages Gogos to crochet hats and scarves on their own homesteads while they care for their grandchildren and pays sustainable wages for grandmothers to raise, feed and send their grandchildren to school. With access to the right resources, people can become empowered by their own abilities and gain the confidence to fulfill their potential.

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Where did this idea come from?

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Katie had lived in Swaziland for 2.5 years through the Peace Corps. After moving back to America, she returned every year to Swaziland to continue working on projects serving children on an orphanage and feeding families in rural villages. But she was struggling to raise money for her yearly trips.  One day while chatting in their hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa, Katie's sister suggested she create a product and develop a "brand" to spread the word about her Swazi efforts and expand her fundraising efforts. "You can sell something like this!" the sister said, picking up a stocking cap. "Put a label on it and attach a story, and tell people what you're doing!" 

It didn't take long to get the ball rolling! Katie was soon back in Swaziland and kept her wits sharp for skilled crafts. While having lunch with her friend, Jabu, one day, Katie asked Jabu how she was faring. Jabu said she was well and told Katie about the six children/grandchildren/great nieces/nephews she had living with her. Katie asked how she was making money to support everyone, and Jabu talked about basket weaving, a process which took 3-4 weeks to make one set of baskets which she sold in the city for about $7 U.S. Dollars. "Hm..." Katie responded, "Do you know how to crochet?" Slightly confused by the strange reply to such a story, Jabu said that she indeed did know how to crochet, and had experience making hats. 

In a great deal of excitement, Katie pulled out her notebook and began working with Jabu on a business plan. 

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Today JAbU employs two grandmothers and Jabu has taught her daughter, niece, and grand daughter to crochet. All of these women/girls are making hats and making money from JAbU!