Same Sky
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Francine LeFrak |
| Headquarters | New York City, NY, New York, United States |
Area served | USA |
Key people |
Francine LeFrak (CEO / Founder) |
| Products | Jewelry, bracelets, earrings |
| Website | samesky.com |
Same Sky is a cause-based trade initiative that provides training and employment for HIV-positive women survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. In 2013, Same Sky began to employ women in America through the Same Sky America Pilot Project in Jersey City. Called Same Sky America, this project works with the women of the Most Excellent Way Learning Life Center who are working to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
Founded in 2007 by Francine LeFrak (daughter of New York real estate developer Samuel J. LeFrak), Same Sky partners with the handicraft organization Gahaya Links in Kigali, Rwanda.[1] Same Sky also partners with select online retailers, including the nonprofit Shopping for a Change. [2] Same Sky is headquartered in New York City.
The women artisans that Same Sky employs are women from some of the most deprived and disadvantaged communities, with very little opportunities for self-development and growth and in most cases, their work and their identity both remain uncounted and unseen. Same Sky was initiated with a vision to provide the dignity of work to all women under the same sky. The company's foundation is to give the women a stage to share their stories, an ability to grow and the opportunity to better their lives and their communities. They provide HIV care and educational opportunities for the artisans whole family. In addition to providing sustainable economic opportunities, the profit returns proceeds to micro-enterprise training for HIV-positive and marginalized women in this community.
The women artisans that Same Sky employs make crocheted glass-beaded bracelets, which are hand-blown glass beads from California.
References
- ↑ [http://www.gahayalinks.com/partners Gahaya Links website: "Gahaya Links Partners and Friends"</
- ↑ http://shoppingforachange.org/collections/gahaya-links Shopping for a Change: Gahaya Links