Ugandan musician Kinobe joins the Fair Trade Uganda fundraiser

Press release:

Asheville, NC – The Village Wisdom Team will host a Kinobe and Friends Benefit Concert on March 15th, from 7:00-10:00 pm at the New Mountain Theatre in Asheville to raise money for a July 2016 trip to Uganda. On the trip, members of the Village Wisdom Team will collaborate with women’s cooperatives and small business owners to learn and share the best practices of fair trade, entrepreneurship, and equitable relationships.  During the Benefit Concert, guests will listen to authentic Ugandan music from world renowned musician Kinobe as well as the jazzy blues played by Chuck Beattie, and other local Asheville musicians. There will be a raffle of products and services donated by local businesses and a Fair Trade pop-up sale from Fashion & Compassion. Tickets are available at $10 for a set of five and $15 individually online.

The Village Wisdom Network was founded in late 2015 as a group of like-minded individuals who are passionate about service learning, youth and female empowerment, and fair trade. The network, however, has deeper roots that span decades.  The budding organization supports the outreach programs that are already put in place by the Kiwuwa Foundation (kiwuwa.org). The foundation, headed by James Kiwuwa and his wife Olivia Mukabera Kiwuwa, is a Ugandan community development organization, dedicated to empowering youth and communities to succeed in a global economy. The Kiwuwa foundation itself was inspired by a book by local Asheville author Carrie Wagner, Village Wisdom; Immersed in Uganda, Inspired by Job, Changed for Life. Carrie was compelled to write Village Wisdom after her three-year term with Habitat for Humanity in Uganda. She, along with Olivia and James, will lead the trip to rural Uganda in July 2016 and work directly with empowerment of craft communities.

Mandy Broderick and Molly Dingledine are also members of the team. Mandy Broderick is a store manager of the Ten Thousand Villages in Asheville. She has nine years of Fair Trade experience with Ten Thousand Villages and is working as a Fair Trade Consultant on the Village Wisdom team. “I have been lucky to have the opportunity to witness first hand how Fair Trade positively impacts impoverished communities around the world. The establishment of a direct trade system with artisans ensures that they receive the fair and living wage that they deserve for their work. I believe that there are endless possibilities for Fair Trade development. We have such a locally minded community in Asheville; Fair Trade is the equivalent of buying local within a developing country.”

Another valuable member of the Village Wisdom team is Molly Dingledine, an Asheville jewelry designer. On the trip she will work directly with the Ugandan jewelry artisans and seamstresses, co-creating products that are appealing to a global market. “For ten years, I’ve had the opportunity to develop my own business designing, creating, and selling jewelry. I feel compelled to share my knowledge and assist others, so that they may have that same opportunity. Handmade items have the ability to create a deep, direct connection between the maker and the wearer/user.”

All money raised will fund trip expenses and start-up costs for the development of fair-trade businesses in rural Uganda.  The opportunity for small businesses and craft cooperatives to develop sustainable entrepreneurial skills has the potential to transform the lives of artisans in impoverished Ugandan communities.

For more information on the Kinobe and Friends Benefit Concert or about the Village Wisdom Network, please visit our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Village-Wisdom-1645865925703139/