March is #WomensHistoryMonth and it’s reserved to intentionally celebrate and highlight the contributions of women.
Each year, The National Women’s History Alliance chooses a national theme and this year, they’ve chosen “Valiant Women of the Vote” in celebration of the centennial of women’s suffrage of the 19th amendment.
While we are excited to celebrate this incredible time in history, we’re not without pause to recognize that our black sisters were not afforded those same voting rights that day in 1920. It was only through several decades of tireless effort (primarily lead by black women) that black women were finally allowed to vote when the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, banning racial discrimination in voting practices.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we couldn’t help but consider ALL the women who define Sseko and how their contributions have made #SsekoHistory over the years. So, this month you’ll hear some amazing stories of women past and present who have shaped this company and truly created opportunities for women globally.
2009: First Sseko Uganda Employees: Mary, Mercy, and Rebecca joined Sseko as the first three employees in Uganda. All three graduated from Sseko and attended university earning degrees in Finance, IT, and social work, respectively. Today Mary works as a project officer at a community development non-profit. Rebecca is a social worker for an international development agency. She was on an international assignment in Rwanda when we were visiting Uganda last year!
Mercy started a technology school in Fort Portal to provide technology access and training to members of their community. She and her husband also planted a church and are really passionate about healthy marriages and have started a marriage ministry. We are so proud of all three of them!
2012: First Sseko Management Team: Dora, Agnes, Sharon, Florence, and Sylvia were the first group of managers to lead the team in Uganda. All of these women are still on the Sseko Uganda management team today and ensure that our production is best in class and our impact is focused and effective.
2018: Founding Fellows: The first 500 women to join Sseko are our “Founding Fellows and they helped us increase our impact in Uganda and beyond. The names of every single one of our Founding Fellows are memorialized on our epic “Founding Fellows Wall” in Uganda!
2019: First Million Dollar Teams: Jeanene Johnson and Alyssa Singh lead the “Girls with Grit” and the “Premiere Voyagers” to hit ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN SALES! These two teams became our top impact teams creating over 24 university scholarships and 48 dignified, full-time jobs for artisans across the globe.
2019: Jill Van Kempen Becomes Top Seller: Jill Van Kempen, in addition to her full-time job of taking care of and helping save the White Rhino species, became the top seller in our company history, blasting through our previous record! And she did it almost exclusively through hosting online trunk shows from the comfort of her own home!
2019: Carisa Montgomery Becomes Top Recruiter: In addition to being a stay at home mama, Carisa Montgomery becomes our top recruiter in the company setting the record for how many women she invited and brought into the Sseko community!