Kijani diapers - we're in business!

         I'm excited that my small cloth diaper initiative is continuing to take shape - I now have a website www.kijanionline.com  and a facebook page www.facebook.com/kijanidiapers - and am starting to do more active promotion of the diapers. When I started getting orders a few months ago, I didn't have any inventory and had to scramble to train tailors, find materials, and get the orders filled. I've been able to spend several months building up a good inventory before actively promoting the diapers. 

        This past Saturday, I went to my first sale to promote the diapers - a local country club has a sale once a month where you can rent a table.  All kinds of vendors come to the sale - local businesses as well as individuals and families selling their things.  We were able to sell a lot of diapers (thankfully, Muigai was with me - he is a much better salesperson than I am! And we had Nathan, our "live model" to show the diapers in action) and we also got a lot of interest - we talked to several people who had never seen diapers like these as there are few modern cloth diapers available in the local market. 

Natalie helping me sell diapers at the sale

       Please join me in prayer for the following items as we move forward with this:

The top layer of the soaker is made with recycled t shirts

 - The biggest challenge I have is finding a way to get the materials to Uganda.  Unfortunately, most of the materials I need to make high quality diapers are not available in Uganda.  For now, I brought a lot of materials with me when we returned from vacation and have had a few other people bring materials for me when they come to Uganda.  Shipping costs as well as customs taxes are very high, and I am trying to find the best way to minimize these costs so I can make a diaper that is affordable for the local market.  I am also trying to be creative in thinking what materials are essential to be imported and what local materials I can use.  Part of my soakers are currently made using secondhand t shirts, which are available in abundance here in Kampala.

 - I am currently working with two very skilled tailors, and one of them worked for an NGO for several years as a tailoring teacher.  I would love to begin identifying young women who are in need of a job/skills and train them in tailoring, then be able to give them some work making diapers.  Please pray that I would be connected to the right people and be able to begin training at least one new person.