The project was started in 2001 by Mrs Miriam Ntiruka. It began with Miriam making bags herself and selling them to friends. As interest grew it became apparent that this was a way to enable women to improve the quality of their lives and their families by earning some money in a flexible work situation.

4 women are currently employed on a profit shared basis who work from home.

Mama Amani is a mother at home alone with 3 young children, her husband is studying for a degree in Uganda. They need to pay for school fees as well as essentials of daily life. She has a small vegetable plot next to their 2 roomed house which enables her to provide the family with some fresh vegetables, but the bag project enables their oldest son to go to school. The flexibility of working at home means that she can  still care for the other children, but can also earn some money to invest in her children’s future.

Click here to see our bag selection.

SCRATCH has a long history of helping those in crisis in our city  of Southampton and of relieving the effects of poverty.  Now it is not only helping people here but also affecting the lives of people in Uganda, Africa through SCM Crafts.  Meet the women’s group at Buwaya who make the beautiful traditional baskets which we have been buying for the last two years. They are made from banana leaves and sisal and are a natural, sustainable product. We pay considerably more than the local rate for them.

For more information about the Busoga area of Uganda visit the Busoga Trust, a charity working to provide clean water sources to communities in rural areas.

Click here to see our basket selection.