Our Story

Empowering Communities through Unique Design

More than a decade ago, we learned about the difficulties Africa was facing due to poverty after watching a documentary on the Rwandan genocide. This led us to investigate how others were enabling Africans to break out of the poverty cycle. As our concern for Africa deepened, we knew that we wanted to make a difference. Despite finding many inspiring projects on the continent, we couldn't find the right one for us, so we decided to create our own.

The story of how Africa Bags came to be:

In early 2007, we made the decision to establish our own non-profit organization. Our goal was to create a for-benefit, empowerment project that prioritized People, Planet, and Prosperity – the triple bottom line. On January 28th, 2007, Africa Bags was officially born.

Establishing Africa Bags in Malawi
Here's how our journey began. In May 2007, we embarked on our very first trip to Malawi. Upon arrival, we met with village leaders and decided to partner with three nearby villages: Kamweko, Viweme, and Nkhata Bay. We began by providing training on reusable cloth bag production and supplied the villages with foot-powered treadle sewing machines and all other necessary resources. We also trained a few individuals from each village to operate the machines. After our departure, a small group from our Nkhata Bay group branched out and formed the fourth group in Chintheche.

Updates on our sales and production progress:

Our initial sales have come from our grassroots campaign, which involved reaching out to friends and family to spread the word about our project.
As production of our Africa Bags has increased, we're now pursuing retail avenues for selling our products. We're actively seeking partnerships with retail stores interested in our products. If you have experience in retail sales or know people who do, we'd greatly appreciate any help.
We're actively seeking partnerships with retail stores interested in our products. If you have experience in retail sales or know people who do, we'd greatly appreciate any help.

Today

Malawi is currently the 7th poorest country in the world. Africa Bags now entails several projects within Malawi. Each project focuses on a need within the country. Together these projects help people in rural villages thrive instead of survive. Africa Pads and Malawi Tech Solutions help reduce poverty by empowering youth to stay in school, and complete their education. Greening Malawi introduces organic farming practices, fights deforestation, and provides a sustainable income to the rural communities within Malawi. Africa Bags empowers vulnerable women to pursue a career as a tailor, which in turn helps her local community to rise up from depths of poverty.

Seventeen years ago when I first visited Malawi, textile factories were thriving. I only purchased local cloth within Malawi to produce Africa Bags. Slowly over the next seven years, as second hand cloth and second hand clothing saturated the country, the local textile factories were forced to close down. I was deeply saddened by this loss and dreamt of one day opening a textile factory for the project and revitalizing the cloth industry. While on the ground within Malawi I saw first hand the needs of the people. I continually altered my projects to focus on these needs. Our projects within Malawi have now come full circle. And the dream of opening a textile factory is well under way.

Africa Bags' Participation in Craft Shows and Fairs
Africa Bags actively participates in various events such as Third World Craft Shows, Alternative Giving Fairs, and Holiday Craft Markets. Our booth features our signature Africa Bags alongside other handcrafted items from Malawi. Please feel free to contact us with any information regarding events in your area that might interest Africa Bags.

Africa Bags: Providing Work and Opportunity for Villages in Malawi and Beyond
As Africa Bags moves forward, our primary objective is to find homes for the thousands of bags created by the talented tailors in Malawi. Our team is eager to increase production and expand into other villages as we find more outlets to sell our products. Since we started in 2007, we have expanded our reach to seven villages in Malawi. Our sales of 3,000-4,000 bags per year generate over $50,000 in profit, which is returned to Africa. We are proud to say that everyone on our team in America volunteers their time, so that all profits from our bag sales can go directly back into the project.

Expressing Gratitude and Encouragement for Support
We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of passion and assistance from a diverse range of supporters, including churches, organizations, friends, family members, and even strangers. As a grassroots organization, we welcome anyone who wants to contribute, so please don't hesitate to contact us if you wish to help.