The African Art of Giving Back

The clock is ticking. Christmas is just around the corner, and 'tis the season to be reviewing your holiday gift list. You have some tough choices to make. You need to think about who gets a present, how much to spend and, most importantly, what to actually get.

Searching for the perfect gift can sometimes feel like mission impossible.

You want to treat that special person in your life. Their happiness is your happiness. You want to buy them a gift that'll tug the corners of their mouth into a smile.

But imagine if your gift could put a smile on more than one persons' face. Imagine if your gift could help support impoverished families on their journey out of poverty.

You don't have to imagine because it's possible.

Let me introduce you to three brilliant brands that are providing opportunities to women in developing African countries. If you're looking for ethical, sustainable gifts, consider these three brands.

A little thoughtfulness goes a long way. By supporting these brands, you'd be helping to alleviate poverty, ensuring that workers are paid fairly, and working under humane conditions.

Lend a helping hand today by shopping ethically.

1. AAKS

AAKS sells a colourful assortment of sleek bags, delicately woven by a group of local artisan weavers in Kumasi, Ghana. They handcraft their bags using natural, ecologically harvested raffia and leather.

Each thread is laced with love, and each bag takes ten days to complete; an attesting to AAKS' unwavering dedication to quality.

You've done gift cards, sent boxes of chocolates and even bought the odd personalised coffee mug – so when ideas for a truly unique present runs low, AAKS' bags offer something special to the gift game.

They can add a colourful flair of sophistication to your loved one's summer outfit.

Shop at AAKS today

2. Alaffia

Shea butter is something of a beauty cure-all. From nourishing dry skin to moisturising frizzy hair, there aren't many beauty dilemmas that shea butter can't fix.

It's the beauty industry's trump card, a miracle balm that treats and conditions the body from head to toe.

So, it's no wonder shea butter earnt itself the nickname "women's gold". We call it women's gold because of the economic opportunities it provides to millions of women across Africa.

Perhaps no brand understands the precious worth of shea butter as well as Alaffia.

Alaffia handcrafts sustainable skin and haircare products with fair trade ingredients that empower Togolese communities. Women from Alaffia's co-op village in Togo help to naturally craft the raw shea butter and black soap that Alaffia uses.

Alaffia then use their product sales to give back to the women and local communities that harvest the ingredients.

At the heart of Alaffia's brand is their passion to provide ethical, fair wages for African workers who have historically contended with unfair wages.

Gift someone softer skin via Alaffia's award winning products.

Shop at Alaffia today.

3. Yala Jewellery

Yala Jewellery is a Kenyan-based brand that believes fine jewellery shouldn't cost the earth. Fuelled by this belief, Yala handcrafts ethical, sustainable jewellery made by talented artisans and Maasai women in Kenya.

They produce their jewellery from reclaimed and recycled raw materials, keeping the waste as low as possible.

It's common for jewellery brands to shun their conscience in favour of profits, but that's not what Yala all about.

Founder and CEO Audrey Migot-Adholla works directly with over 150 artisans in Kenya, helping to ensure they receive fair wages (triple the daily wage for jewellery artisans in Kenya) and safe, healthy work environments.

If you're looking to add a stunning bracelet, delicate chain or dazzling pair of earrings to your collection, Yala ought to be your first port of call.

Shop at Yala today

Final note

A gift is a way to express appreciation to someone without using words.

If there ever was a perfect gift, it would be the gift of kindness. By incorporating kindness, transparency and fairness into their processes, these three businesses help to lift families out of poverty. These are the kind of businesses that deserve our support.

Peace,

Aggee.