NOT charity

I work for a company.... This is a simple fact, but it is commonly misunderstood. A lot of people seem to think that if you're doing something in Africa it obviously must be a charity or a non-profit of some sort. But that's not what Sseko is. We are a social business. And a lot of our fellow expats either work for similar companies or understand the concept of what we are doing.... But I've found that this is at times difficult to explain to Ugandans. The only interaction many of them have had with white people is through charity, i.e. hand-outs.

This past week I was faced with an instance of this misunderstanding. Right now at Sseko we are undergoing a lot of changes and one of those is the method in which we pay our women. It was my job to explain the change to them and then have one on one meetings to answer any questions or concerns. I met with a woman who is one of the "aunties" who works for us. She started working for Sseko last spring and before that had been doing a little bead making on the side for a local widows group.

This woman came to me and I told her again the rough amount she would be paid each month (depending on if she met her work production or not), and it was actually more than she had been making in the past.... but she had some questions for me.... She wanted to know if she would be getting any extra money to pay for transportation since she lived far away. {Note: this woman has lived far away for her entire employment and has never received extra money for transport}

I told her that the policy was as it always had been and that she would have to pay for her transport out of her wages, because it would be unfair for us to pay her more just because she lived farther when she was doing the exact same work as the other women who work for Sseko. And then a phrase came out of my mouth that I had never put together before... I said "Pay at Sseko is based on work, not on need." That was the first time I was truly able to articulate the difference between what we do as a social business and what the traditional charities these women have had past experience with do....

For some time I have known that no matter how much we pay the widowed aunties who work for us, it will never be enough. One of them is HIV positive, has a daughter that is as well, and nine other children of her own to care for.... not to mention some of her children's children, and other extended family form whom she is responsible. The culture here is incredibly community based, and everyone is responsible for everyone else.... so even if these women were getting paid the salary of a government official, it wouldn't be enough.

But these women aren't getting paid the salaries of government officials.... that would be utterly ridiculous. They are relatively uneducated, have little work experience, and one of them barely speaks English and is illiterate. They are getting paid the equivalent of a teacher's salary to make shoes, which is more than they would make doing anything else... Working with Sseko is a pretty amazing opportunity for them, and they know that and are so appreciative for the jobs we have provided for them. But, there come times like these when I have to yet again explain that we are employers. Sseko is not a charity. We are certainly understanding to our employees and their needs, but I'll say again that pay at Sseko is based on work, not on need.

It's honestly almost a relief for me to be able to put that into words.... because at times the line gets blurred and when I personally know these women, I wish I could cater to all their needs. But I can't afford to and neither can Sseko... what we can do is give them great jobs and a way to earn a living... what we can give is opportunity.