31 Bits

Showing the real impact
of social enterprise

Empowering people to rise out of poverty.

31 Bits is an amazing social enterprise that we are excited about. They are proving the impact of social enterprise. We've recently seen a number of purpose driven companies entering the fashion space, but I’m specifically loving the way the 31 bits is telling the story of it’s people. To dig into this, let’s have a look at their latest blogpost:

The mission of 31 bits is to use fashion and design to empower people to rise out of poverty. In practice, this means that the 31 Bits team works specifically in Uganda to train women to be self-employed jewelry makers. But rather than employ a complicated manufacturing process, 31 Bits repurposes old paper from ads, magazines, and other materials readily available in Uganda. The result is shockingly beautiful jewelry that incorporates the story of Uganda and its newly empowered female entrepreneurs. Not only that, but it is some of the most unique and beautiful jewelry I've ever seen. Apart from the product, 31 Bits is unique in the stories of the women it serves. Their blog tells the story of 8 women who had their lives completely transformed thanks to 31 Bits. This is because 31 Bits goes far beyond simply giving these women a business opportunity: through a unique program, 31 bits is also able to provide these women financial training, a business mentor, health programming, and a network of women working together to spark change. Not only that, but some of these women have even graduated to hire others – which continues the process of change that 31 Bits started up.

Wow – 31 Bits sets the stage for how cause based companies should behave. As social entrepreneurs, our role is not only to serve, but to empower others to serve. 31 Bits transforms the lives of these women while selling amazing jewelry.

Cause minded shoppers like us should be on the lookout for companies that so willingly tell the stories of the people they serve. Because let's not forget – you and I shop consciously so that lives can be transformed, so that we can express our values through our purchases, and so the world can become a better place.

The above article by Josh Schukman first published on magazine.stand4.com in 2015.