A Piece of Africa

One woman’s mission to empower the women of Uganda, one necklace a time

Shanley Knox met seven-year-old Cossy Nakate in the village of Kakooge, Uganda in 2010. Knox supported the young orphan with food and money, but soon realized that she could do more, and on a larger scale. She launched the Nakate Project in 2010 to provide a platform for a network of local female artisans already present in Kakooge to sell their products, support themselves and their families, and feel a sense of dignity in the work that they do. According to Knox, “[Nakate is] helping people in the western world to see rural artisans for the talented, powerful women they are. Read on for a peek inside Knox’s busy and inspiring world.

When did you first travel to Uganda?

Shanley Knox: I went the first time in 2008 to work at an orphanage and I returned in 2010 as a reporter for a nonprofit. I was moved by [the village of] Kakooge and the stories there and decided to try and work in that village in particular.

The mission of the Nakate Project is all about empowering African women and bringing international attention to their specific challenges and needs. What prepared you to take on this somewhat daunting (to me, at least!) global issue?

Everything about my background drove me here – my father’s influence as someone who traveled often; our family’s tendency to host everyone and anyone that needed a place. My father was always giving me things that stirred a desire to travel and experience the world – a military trunk from his dad’s time in the army, a Japanese stool, a bottle collection from all over the world, an antique atlas – the list goes on. I took my childhood interest and pursued it as an adult. He had always told me there was so much more out there – and I wanted it. So, I started traveling at eighteen, and I’ve never really looked back.

What made you decide to use jewelry as the basis for the Nakate Project?

I wanted to do something to help the women I was working with, and the jewelry was something they were already making that I could take and use to help make a profit. I started by bringing a bag of necklaces home – that was my way of “taking a piece of Africa with me,” so to speak.

“Taking a piece of Africa with you” – that’s a really beautiful way to think about it. I wanted to give other people a chance to be an active part of that. So many women care about Africa, but they want to feel like they can get closer – like they’re an active part of change there, instead of just a passive bystander or someone donating. I wanted to give them that active involvement through Nakate – that concept that they’re helping us do what we do, and they’re an integral part of the process of change. We have grown with the concept that each woman that works with us is taking a piece of the Africa we brought home, and she’s taking it into her world – into her office, her family, into cocktail lounges and malls, parties, and out to her next meeting. She’s not only telling our story. She’s part of our story.

Your website showcases such beautiful necklaces. How often do you introduce new pieces? We launch new lines usually about four times a year. We introduce individual necklaces often – depending on occasions or sales.

Do you have any favorite designs?

I tend to have alternating favorites. I love certain pieces with certain outfits, or they stand out to me on certain days. I love individual pieces – not just a purple Sara, for instance, but that purple Sara that has a white spot in its center, and the letter “S” on one of its beads. I love the details.

Do you have plans to expand beyond jewelry?

We are currently working to expand into other products. Our next ventures include shoes, bags and cow horn bangles and earrings. We’ll also be working with ebony and mahogany.

Speaking of future plans, where do you see Nakate in five years?

I see Nakate in other countries. I see more product lines, and I see a lot more involvement, both on the ground and here in the United States. We’re actually working on re-vamping our plan for the next five years because there have been so many recent developments. Every day brings new things I couldn’t have imagined.

I can imagine you’re constantly dealing with the unexpected. What’s challenged you most since you launched the Nakate Project? There are cultural challenges on both sides of the equation. There are my own personal challenges as someone traveling to Uganda by myself on a regular basis. There are financial challenges. And, there’s the challenge of staying committed to something when it’s so much more than a start-up business. I’ve had to force myself not to give up, when all I wanted to do was go get a “normal” job and feel like a “normal” person.

And yet, at only twenty three, you’ve accomplished so much. What advice do you have for young, twenty-something entrepreneurs looking to make a difference in the world?

I think if you’re an entrepreneur, you’re typically someone that pushes yourself pretty hard. As such, it’s really difficult to see your own victories, and not be constantly critical of yourself. You’re your own boss. You make your own hours. And sometimes, it’s hard to ever feel like you’ve actually done “enough.” My biggest lesson has been learning to shut out my inner critic that tells me I’m going to fail, and just go for it. The more I study the lives of entrepreneurs that have come before me, the more I see they all had long stretches of time where everyone else thought they were bat-shit crazy for believing they’d succeed.

It seems as though it takes a substantial amount of bravery and perseverance to get through, and I think challenge often leads to amazing results.

It’s been an unbelievable experience to fly back to Uganda and see that what has often felt like a lot of work for nothing is actually something that is making a difference for a group of women in East Africa. I’ve seen it change their view of themselves. I’ve seen it put money in their pocket. I’ve seen it build new homes and help purchase cattle. I’ve seen it send children to school. I’ve seen it restore dignity. It’s something that I hope will continue to change people’s lives.

the photos:

page 57: page 59 (clockwise from top left):

Margaret Nakibuka puts a finish on one of her necklaces.

1) Grace Nsambu uses her income from Nakate to help stock her local shop.

2) Necklaces ready to be taken back to the States.

3) Shanley hangs out with Cossy Nakate, and her brothers.

4) Several of the woman working with Nakate (not all of the artisans are pictured).