I like to refer to myself as a “recovering attorney” – after spending years and years in school and in practice, I finally realized that what I loved about law was the writing, and the chance to advise people on things that could change their lives. Now, I get to do all of those things every day, in a much prettier setting and without the billable hours.

Be bold, but be smart. There’s a lot of ocean between diving in headfirst and never even getting your feet wet. Start small, see what’s possible, and trust your instincts. Oh, and ask for help! No one ever made it alone.

Embrace negative emotions. You’re going to feel afraid of risk and uncertainty, and you’re going to feel sad and angry when things don’t go exactly to plan. But expecting–and therefore accepting–these emotions is the first step in managing them. We all feel them when we’re taking on something that matters deeply to us; they’re signs that you are on the right path, not indicators that you should turn back.

Attending: Elgon Technical School

Studying: Electrical Engineering

With her long braids pulled back and her studious –looking spectacles, it is easy to see that Phiona is a researcher. And it is research that brought her to join team Sseko in the first place. She explains that while she was still in high school, she heard former Sseko women talking about the company and inquired to learn more.

“You have to know what you want in life. Sseko is not a place to be idle” Phiona tells us. She became an expert at wrapping and quality checking.  And explains that wrapping occurs at the end of the production stage and it is here that quality is checked for the last time. With her hands she tells me, “I can distinguish between a good or bad finished product.  I also learned about reporting production quantities.  It helps to know and understand your production goal and to be able to report that for your team.”

This precise, hardworking woman learned she can cooperate with her coworkers no matter the age difference.  She was able to take instruction from a manager near her own age and exchange work ideas with the most experienced production professionals.  Phiona had the chance to witness her advice that “A good leader does not put themselves above others but must communicate with respect.” Her brightness and inquisitive nature will surely lead her down a path of success in Electrical Engineering.

Attending: Makarere Business School

Studying: Procurement and Logistics

Patricia is a bit of an anomaly in her village. She humbly explains that all the girls she attended school with have long been married, had children and do not have the financial means to stand on their own. Patricia has made it her life goal to become a woman of education and integrity so that the leaders of her community will respect her.

This open-minded woman admits that she did not have any experience using a sewing machine before working at Sseko. Determined to learn as much as she could, she would ask the experienced seamstresses to teach her on her lunch break. As Patricia puts it, “I opened my mind to learning new ways and now I can do much more with my hand and mind.”

Patricia moved closer to tell me that she has learned to work with her own hands and to be creative.  With well-earned pride, she tells me, “I can follow instructions but being creative is more than that.  It involves design.  I can come up with my own way of styling straps and at the end of the day people admire what I have created.” 

Attending:  Gulu University

Studying: Development Studies

When you are in the presence of Beatrice, you feel like you are in the room with a modern day explorer. Her sense of adventure is inspiring and it wasn’t long into our conversation, that I imagined myself accompanying Bea on a thrilling trek through the Congo looking for gorillas.

Beatrice was born in Gulu during the civil war and decided that her first visit to southern Uganda for secondary school should and would kick off with an exploration of the city and every beach in town. For her, the freedom to move on her own without the fear of war and abduction was intoxicating. She is using her newfound freedom to pursue her education in Developmental Studies.

Beatrice understands that good communication takes time and effort but the tradeoff is a unified, productive team. She learned how to handle issues among the group and be a part of team that was able to increase their production and improve on quality. The heart of this explorer values Sseko sandals for their uniqueness and worldwide sales. She explains that her time at Sseko has been invaluable, in part because it gave her the opportunity to interact with people of different color, ages and styles. She enjoyed the tasks themselves because of the unique product she was working with. She is sure that her experience with Sseko will be a great base for opening her own business someday.

Attending: Kyambogo University

Studying: Microfinance

Nebo used to dig in the village to earn money for her tuition and every day would return covered head to toe in red dust. She is the first to tell you that one of her motivations to become an account is that it “is not a dirty job.” Although when you first meet Nebo, you might take her quiet demeanor to mean she is reserved, if you turn the music on, you’ll see a new side of her emerge.

Sseko was Nebo’s first formal job and she was certainly a bit nervous about the experience. The nerves quickly wore off and we saw Nebo, lover of people begin to develop. As a member of the sole team, she worked with older single women and married moms.  It gave Nebo great joy to know that her team looked out for one another.  On the days when she completed her work early, she was quick to look around and offer help to others.

Nebo had great determination to go onto University despite being unsure of how it would be paid for. She told us that working at Sseko has matured her assurance in making financial decisions and managing her expenses. We’re rooting for this confident business savvy young lady all the way.

Attending: Kyambogo University

Studying: Accounting

One can’t help but feel comfortable around Caroline. When you sit down for a chat, she moves her chair close and leans in to listen intently with an empathetic ear. Caroline admits that before she started working at Sseko, she would wake up late to find others already dressed and moving. She decided she needed to manage her time differently so she didn’t miss out on anything. Her shift in daily perspective repeatedly landed this punctual lady on Sseko’s monthly perfect attendance list.

At Sseko we love to see people harness their creativity and let it surprise them.  Caroline came to Sseko with little formal work experience but has since discovered that she can easily work with people of different ages in different stages of life. She has been inspired by Liz and the Sseko story to believe that when she has an idea, she, too, can try it. We’re excited to see where this future accountant uses her gifts.

Attending: Makarere University

Studying: Computer Sciences

Rose is no stranger to hard work. Since she was a child, she worked alongside her parents in the rock quarry to earn money for school fees. Working in the quarry is arguably to most arduous work here in Uganda. However, instead of lamenting the hard labor of her childhood, she is grateful for what the experience taught her about persevering through difficulty.

It is this ethic of determination that has carried her through her high school degree and will serve her immensely during her time in University. Rose has learned at Sseko that everyone is equally important. She says, “You can’t do something well without someone else. We teach each other and we need each other.” Rose knows that age plays a very little part in your ability to have a voice and an impact.

She has discovered that being quiet at times is quite alright and in fact helped her to live with other people well. These tangible experiences have equipped her with the confidence to make new friends at University. Rose’s advice: “You can never stop learning about people and enjoying the time you have with them.” She gets it and we like that.

Attending: Makarere Business School

Studying: Commerce…and then law school

Robinah is a story-teller. When there is a lull around the workshop, Robinah is always willing to share a story from her past or a folk tale from her tribe. Somehow, the first conversation I ever had with her managed to evolve into a hilarious tale that ended with an embarrassed son-in-law running through the village covered from head to toe in baking flour.

Her ability to captivate an audience will serve her well in the courtroom, which is where she will spend much of her time after she finishes her degree in law. Robinah also has a mind for business.  With what she has learned at Sseko, she hopes to start her own small business before finishing University and going on to law school.  Robinah is seeing her dream come true as she takes the next step toward a career in law. 

 We appreciate Robinah’s honesty in admitting that she was challenged and discovered that she knows a lot of things but not everything. Her teachable attitude has allowed her to see the benefits of being interdependent. She explains that when working on a team, she often needs the piece that someone is finishing in order complete her part. With confidence, she states, “So much more can be accomplished working together than alone.” Her goal is to use her skills and education to advocate for those in the justice system who otherwise fall through the cracks. We have no doubt that Robinah’s goals will evoke a contagious change.

Attending: Gulu University

Studying: Development Studies

Betty is certainly not your average recent high school graduate. Serious and contemplative, Betty’s calm and strong demeanor quietly demands that you take her seriously. And serious she is. When it comes to working hard, achieving her dreams and overcoming hardship, Betty has proven herself to be a woman of strength and courage. Betty lost both of her parents during her childhood. With no one to pay her primary school fees, she arrived early and stayed late at school to clean the grounds everyday to pay off her school fees. When she moved on to secondary school, she could not find employment and there was no way she could afford to continue her education. She scoured Uganda for a job opportunity, and like most women her age, failed to find employment.

But where most would give up, 17 year-old Betty decided to move to South Sudan, where she heard there were more opportunities. A terrifying journey for a girl who had never left her village, Betty succeeded in her pursuit and taught nursery school in a foreign country for a year to earn enough money to finish her high school degree. Since she was a young girl, Betty has proven herself as determined and committed. She will go on to university to study Developmental Studies to further her passion of community relations, specifically in the area of cross-cultural relationships.

Betty has a talent for observing a technique and mastering it almost immediately. We have seen her strive to understand people’s differences and work in harmony with others. Because of that, she easily moved among our production teams and was in high demand.

Betty says, “If you work when you are not happy, you cannot do what is expected.” She found her joy in working and socializing with her coworkers from all parts of Uganda. Through working at Sseko, Betty has experienced the importance of being a team player when big goals are on the horizon.