Awava @ Kansas State University Fair Trade Marketplace

Get some early holiday shopping out of the way by joining Awava at the Kansas State University Fair Trade Marketplace!

This event is Wednesday-18 November 2009 from 9am until 7pm and Thursday-19 November from 9am until 7pm in the University Student Union Courtyard.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Birthday to Awava!

Celebrate Awava's 1st birthday by taking 50% off your ENTIRE order at www.awavamarket.com!


Sale lasts until Monday-November 9, 2009. Simply enter coupon code: happybirthday when checking out! Thank you and enjoy!

Check out our NEW SITE!

For the last year, Awava has been working tirelessly to improve the livelihoods of women in Uganda through value addition to their existing skills as well as creating market linkages within the United States and Uganda.

While our first year has seen challenges, the support we have received and rewards every single person on the Awava Team have realized have been beyond belief. We have developed amazing relationships as well as incredible products, laughed and learned and are incredibly excited for the growth that is happening as we start our second year of life!

For our first birthday, the Awava Team has decided to award itself (and its customers) with a new and improved web site! Please visit our site and see the fantastic changes we've made to make your socially conscious shopping experience better than ever!

We would also like to thank Joi at Atomicheart Industries (www.atomichart.org) for her beautiful hard work. There were so many great concepts the most difficult part for us was choosing which one!

November Awava Events

The holiday season is approaching and Awava is celebrating BIG!

In the month of November our Kansas customers will have the chance to buy in person!

November 18 & 19 Awava will be one of the fantastic vendors at the Kansas State University Fair Trade Marketplace!
Sarah Clark, Awava's representative for this sale, will be available to tell you about the products and the women who make them, as well as her experiences here in Uganda earlier this year!

November 27 - 30, Awava products will be available at the University of Kansas in Lawrence during their annual Fair Trade Holiday Sale at the ECM on campus!

Stay tuned for more December sale dates in: Lawrence, Kansas; Denton, Texas; Houston, Texas as well as Austin, TX!

New Product Coming Soon: Owino Market Bag!

Designed by Anne Britt Torkildsby in partnership with Chrisams Designs, this tote is compact when zipped and easy to carry with you wherever you go. Available in a variety of prints, it makes a fashionable and conscientious accessory for any shopping excursion.

Anne Brit was inspired to design the collapsible tote while working for Design Without Borders. Chrisams Designs, a women's group founded in Uganda in 1987, and registered with the National Association of Women Organisations (NAWOU), expressed interest in creating a bag. Around the same time, several large cities around the world began to ban plastic bags. Thus, Anne Brit designed a tote bag as an environmentally sound alternative to plastic bags.

Other products designed by Anne Britt while she worked with Design Without Borders will soon be available through NAWOU.

The Owino Bag will be available on the Awava site in mid-November!

Artisan Feature: Okoed Vanessa

Okeod Vanessa was born in Soroti and moved to Kamyana in 2006 to study Development Economics at Makerere University on a government scholarship. She completed her coursework in 2009 and is awaiting her exam results.

Vanessa grows her own vegetables, crochets, and enjoys looking after her friend's cat when she is out of town.
Vanessa makes paper bead jewelry to supplement her income in partnership with Uganda Craft.

awavamarket.com is getting a new look!

Awava's getting a new look! Our website (www.awavamarket.com) will be down Tuesday-November 27 from 5pm EST until Friday for redesign! We apologize for any inconveniences!