And the winner is: reusable shopping bags

The best projects come about in collaboration with the community itself. Mitandi Women and Orphans Care in Uganda involves their target group in everything they do. For example, women themselves decided to make reusable shopping bags.

Mitandi Women and Orphans Care is a community-based organisation and aims to empower women. The organisation wants the women themselves to set up sustainable projects from which they can earn an income. Climate sustainability is an important component in all projects, as there is little information available on this topic and it is not yet wide-spread in Uganda.  

In everything, the target group has a say

In January 2024, a community session was organised in Kyamukube village for girls and women who are mostly illiterate and have no access to other development programmes. The women expressed their desire to learn a trade so that they could earn their own money.

Mitandi Women and Orphans Care put the issue of disposable plastic on the agenda. Three sessions were organised to develop ideas: one session was about soap making, a second was about reusable sanitary pads and the third session was about reusable shopping bags.  

The women had every opportunity to have their say. After a vote, the latter project was chosen. Plastic pollution is a big problem in Uganda. Little attention is paid to it and people often throw their bags on the street after single use.  

Training, materials and information

With support from the Netherlands through De Hoorn foundation and Wilde Ganzen, a training course was set up for 40 women and 20 girls. During the training, they learned how to make their own reusable bags. Materials for the bags were bought and sewing machines were provided. Meanwhile, the organisation itself provided community education on the benefits of reducing plastic. They also provided advertising on the radio, in churches and at markets about the convenience of reusable shopping bags.  

Helping each other ensures success

The participating women and girls work in solidarity groups so that they can help each other and collectively form a savings group from the income they derive from selling the bags. This is where Mitandi Women and Orphans Care has experience: six such groups already exist. The aim is to continue the project afterwards: trained women in the community will teach other women the skills. 

Everything has been thought of to make it as accessible as possible for the women to participate. For example, cuddly toys and dolls are present during the meetings, for young children of the women to play with. 

Small project, big difference

With a relatively small investment of €6,500, this project was set up. It gives participants a profession and an income. It also puts environmental pollution on the agenda. Incidentally, the production of soap and sanitary towels is still on the agenda to roll out in the future. But for now, reusable shopping bags first. We look forward to seeing the results!