It started simply enough. Three high school buddies were avid snow boarding enthusiasts and started crocheting their own beanies (they realize this sounds sort of strange: “Though it was not a normal hobby for high school guys, we reveled in the novelty of it.”) Fast forward 5+ years, and those three buddies run the very successful Krochet Kids intl.
Friends and family encouraged them to teach people in developing countries how to crochet as a means of breaking the cycle of poverty. At first, they thought the world needed something more drastic than crochet, something much more profound. That was until one of the guys returned home after a summer spent in Uganda. Witnessing the IDP camps that housed the thousands of displaced people because of Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), they realized entire generations grew up only knowing the camp and relying solely on the government and aid organizations for their every need.
“It was then that we realized the simplicity of crocheting to be its most profound quality. With hook and yarn, people could make amazing products. Being paid a fair wage to do so would allow for them, for the first time, to provide for their families and begin planning for the future. By teaching these people to crochet, we would be empowering them to rise above poverty. We decided right then that we were going to do exactly that.”
This nonprofit now employs over 150 people in northern Uganda and Peru and offers their employees educational opportunities and mentoring, creating a sustainable cycle of employment and empowerment.
We are so excited to have them as part of the Common Good Exchange at our Fourth Estate Leadership Summit this August in Los Angeles. Top brands who are making the world a better place will be making the Summit a better place when they meet with the attendees to talk and show people how to make a living and a difference at the same time.
Think people should hear about this?