Our November Giveaway! Daudi Karungi's new book: Extraordinary Women!

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Our Uganda Friday: Cafe Kawa, Our New Favorite!

Cafe Kawa is our new favorite spot in Kampala! They offer amazing coffee prepared by skilled baristas, excellent customer service, WiFi, delicious sandwiches and salads, fantastic bread from BROOD so you don't have to fight the jam in town, amazing pastries (best croissants in Kampala) also provided by BROOD, in a cozy and artistic environment.

Located on Tank Hill Road in Muyenga, right next to Wine Garage, it is the perfect place to wait out the jam during rush hour, and well worth the trek across town if you're not located in the area (we're not!).

Open Monday through Sunday from 7:30am until 10pm.

The amazing Americano, keeping Awava going!

The perfect Hummus and Veggie Sandwich on whole grain bread

from BROOD. DELICIOUS!

Ethical Holiday Shopping Guide 2011!

Eye See Media and Shop to Stop Slavery's 2011 Ethical Holiday Shopping Guide is HERE! Check out page 33 for Awava!

Our Uganda Friday: Only In Uganda

by Darlyne Komukama

I am in Nairobi for a 10 day trip and have been here for 4 of those 10 days. Obviously being a new environment makes you compare it to what you're used to and being here has been no different for me. So for this installation of the 'Our Uganda Friday' blog post, I am going to tell you all the things I am currently missing the most about Kampala, specifically, and Uganda in general.

Rolex

Not the watch, that's not what you get when you ask for a rolex in Kampala. Rather it's an ingenious recipe in which an omelette is rolled up together with a chapati and the name is believed come from 'rolled eggs'. This buritto like creation can also be filled with, my personal favourite, bacon but more likely with sausage or some type of meat. It is ubiquitous and will be seen on any street corner, outside every market and usually on the side of the road in the more popular hang out areas. If you're in Kampala, and you see someone standing behind a desk with chapatis on display and a tray of eggs next to a charcoal stove with a flat pan on top of it, you are probably in the presence of a rolex guy and you must get yourself one immediately.

Boda Boda

The fastest way to get anywhere on the traffic-jam riddled streets of Kampala is definitely the motorcycle taxis we call boda bodas or bodas for short. A very dividing mode of transport with those who hate them warning everyone one off them and occasionally cussing at them as they weave through traffic while those who love them will not get around town any other way. I am firmly in the 'love them' camp and will only be forced to travel another way if it's raining (and even then I might choose to get wet than sit an hour long traffic for a 10 minute drive) I have become so accustomed to boda rides that I will more often than not be seen reading whatever book I'm reading at the time on the back of the boda.

Hawkers

Outside one of the popular malls in Kampala, the Garden City Mall, are many hawkers whose specialty is cheap knock off sun glasses, many of them Ray Bans. They also make it down the street to the traffic lights on Jinja road so that while you wait for the light to turn green, you can try on a good number of sun glasses and get yourself the perfect pair for about $2 a pair. Nairobi is mostly cold but when it is sunny, it's incredibly bright and I really wish one of those hawkers were around when I needed him.

Warm Nights

Nairobi is much colder than Kampala and anyone who knows is already tired of me moaning about how cold I am especially at night. I go to bed in a socks, tights, a vest and a sweater under my pyjamas even though I have a perfectly normal duvet. Kampala nights are perfectly warm, you could easily go out in a sun dress at 10pm and not get a single goose bump and for covers, I only need a sheet for modesty's sake.

If you were ever looking for any reason to visit Kampala, I've given you 4 pretty good ones.

From Awava, enjoy your weekend.

A Taste of Things to Come!

While we cannot yet tell you exactly what these are and will be (yes, building suspense), you will definitely want at least one of each!

Our Uganda Friday: An event for ever day of your weekend.

by Darlyne Komukama


Let's start with Friday.

Dr. George Kyeyune is a senior lecturer at Makerere University, a part of the Drawing and Sculpture staff whose speciality is in Sculpture and Art History. He has had many accomplishments, among them; he resuscitated the Visual Arts Journal after 45 years, introduced a new Masters in Critical Thinking & Aesthetic Theories and led a team that erected the 14 feet glass fibre statue at Kabamba Military Barracks.

His art exhibition of paintings opens today at the Afriart Gallery on Kenneth Dale Drive off of Kiira Road. Dr. Kyeyune's exhibition, 'The Kampala I Will Always Come Back To' explores the changes his city has gone through in the time he has lived in her, taking into special account the new changes being made by the Kampala City Council Authority. The show starts at 6.00pm and ends at 9.00pm.

Now on to Saturday.

WHAT:    In Movement Student Performance!

WHERE:  National Theatre

WHEN:   Saturday 15^th  October, 2011 at 5:00PM

WHY:     Support In Movement’s students and programs!

ENTRANCE:  FREE!

The performance will feature In Movement's Year 3 students in a musical play entitled “Who Am I?”  The show will include a visual arts exhibition, as well as music, dance, drama, and circus arts.  Entrance to the show is free!  In Movement t-shirts will be on sale for 25,000 UGX, and consider supporting In Movement with a cash donation, or fill out a pledge card!

And finally, Sunday.

We have already told you about Daudi Karungi's book and now you can see the photo exhibition of the pictures in the book at a show being held at the Uganda Museum starting at 10:00am and ending at 6:00pm. The author will be on hand to sign any copies you buy. We believe this book would make the perfect Christmas present for the women in your life, so bring them along and enjoy the exhibition.


And with that, we wish you a lovely weekend.

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Future issues are unmissable!

Awava is inside! And so are lots of coupon discounts to other fantastic ethical companies!

New Fabrics!

The Awava team spent a grueling day in downtown Kampala searching for new fabrics! The stress and sweat and near death experiences crossing roads jam packed with cars, taxis, boda bodas (motorcycle taxis) and bicycles was all worth it!

A Little Ugandan Hip Hop for Your Monday!

Retailers Profile: Fair Planet

Awava is a proud supplier for Canadian company, Fair Planet. Fair Planet provides quality fairly traded items to conscious consumers while promoting the values of fair trade, sustainability, and social justice. They specialize in accessories, home decor items and toys.

In 2008, Fair Planet Founder Janalee Morris-Wales travelled to Uganda to work with women with disabilities on a research project. Many of these women were artisans and small business owners, but they met difficulties in running their businesses. Women with disabilities in the developing world face stigma and discrimination, extreme levels of poverty, and are highly unlikely to get an education (only 2% of women with disabilities in the developing world are literate). This translates into problems with making a living - they are discriminated against in the markets, they lack capital to start and maintain their production, and because most of them have never been to school, they struggle with basic tasks like counting money and making change.

Out of their stories came the idea for this business - and Fair Planet was born. In the many times Janalee visited these women since 2008, they have never failed to impress her with their desire for a better life for themselves and their families. Fair Planet was conceived out of her desire to provide immediate, tangible, and sustainable development assistance to those women. Since then it has expanded to include fair trade artisans from around the world.

To become an Awava retailer, please email kate@awavamarket.com!

Our Uganda Friday: Of Trade Shows and Defining Football Games

by Darlyne Komukama

The 2011 UMA Trade Show started on Tuesday 4th October, 2011 and is running until Monday 10th October. This is an annual exhibition that this year, has attracted exhibitors from over 36 countries and 1000 companies.

Entrance for adults is 3,000 shillings and 2,000 shillings for children. If you're in the market for cheaper than average goods ranging anywhere from solar lights to men's dress shirts, from hand made fabric made with Egyptian cotton to agricultural implements then this is the place the weekend needs to find you.

The ladies of Awava passed by the show yesterday and got some soft serve ice-cream and Kate even won herself a mug from Ugandan coffee, Star Cafe.

The talk of the town for the past couple of weeks has been the October 8th football match to be played between Uganda's Cranes and Kenya's Harambee Stars. If the Uganda Cranes win this match, then Uganda qualifies for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 33 years.

Tickets are being sold for 20,000, 50,000 and 120,000 shillings and if you have a ticket, you can take a free train ride to the match.

From Awava, we wish you a fun weekend.

Thank you for a Glorious Year with Awava!

We want to send the biggest thank you and congratulations to Darlyne Komukama, our Uganda Assistant Country Director, for being with Awava for one year (and of course we're looking forward to another)!

Darlyne jumped on board ready to go and has had a huge hand in our impressive growth over the last year. And it's been so much fun!

Darlyne, we love you and look forward to another amazing year with you!

New Partnership Brings Exciting New Jewelry!

We are over the moon about Awava's new partnership with Mzuribeads! Mzuribeads is a UK-based fair trade organization working with women in Ndejje Village, Uganda, making amazingly beautiful eco-friendly beads using banana fiber, recycled paper, cow horn, bark cloth and recycled glass and selling to beaders around Europe, and now the US & Canada!

Awava partnered with Mzuribeads in August 2011 to add value to the wonderful work the women were already doing, by designing an exclusive line of finished jewelry!

We're excited to launch this line in Kampala starting 6 October 2011, selling exclusively at The Duuka inside Emin Pasha Hotel in Nakasero! We will have these gorgeous new offerings (and a couple more) available on our website starting November 2011. Stay tuned!

Papula Necklace

Muti Necklace

Kiseke Bracelet

Ssanyu Necklace

Mukwano Earrings~Mzuri

Kutu Earrings