At the start of her career, Coronado resident Sarah Sternberg never imagined she\u2019d wind up co-founding a company that would help her lift up and empower women, but a pink slip changed the trajectory of her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all started from the 2008 financial crisis,\u201d Sternberg said, adding that when she realized her time at the real estate investment company she\u2019d been working for was coming to an end, she found herself at a crossroads.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d just received my master\u2019s in business administration, but once the crisis hit, no one was hiring,\u201d she said. \u201cI had a friend who was doing volunteer work in Rwanda at the time, so I decided to take some time to volunteer with him.\u201d<\/p>\n With a decision to be made, Sternberg traded in her routine 9-to-5 job for cold water bucket baths, sleeping under the stars and working in a rural African village. Nine years later, what was supposed to be a two-week volunteer trip has turned into a full-time passion.<\/p>\n During Sternberg\u2019s time in Africa, she met skilled women artisans and quickly realized that the women worked best when they worked together and were able to support one another as individuals, as part of a tenacious community of strong women.<\/p>\n Their determination and skills inspired her to co-found Songa Designs International, a company that thrives as a fashion brand, which celebrates the significance of women all over the world.<\/p>\n The company currently supports between 175 and 200 artisans on the path to economic independence, empowering them with socio-economical support and entrepreneurial skills to reach economic independence and improve their living standards \u2014 all through the sale of a diverse range of hand-made accessories.<\/p>\n \u201cThe women I met were so talented; they had these incredible weaving skills and I could see the full range of their talent,\u201d Sternberg said. \u201cThere were so many culturally traditional designs that I\u2019d ever seen before and had no access to the global market. I realized that\u2019s how I could help.\u201d<\/p>\n This partnership has helped change these women\u2019s lives in ways they never imagined, especially since they are empowered to negotiate their own salaries and earn fair wages for the very first time.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of them talk about having formal employment and steady income every month,\u201d Sternberg said. \u201cThey talk about having food on the table, their kids in schools and now even having basic necessities.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the years, some of these women have even been able to buy plots of land and have their own homes.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my favorite stories to tell is how sometimes, I\u2019ll walk into a co-op of working artisans whom I\u2019ve known for years, but I won\u2019t recognize them because they\u2019ve redone their hair or have new clothes,\u201d Sternberg said. \u201cThey\u2019ve already paid for their kids and have a roof over their head, so they start to invest in themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want these women to be confident on their own because the confidence they gain, no one can ever take that away from them,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe women I work with today are more confident, worldly and educated, and they can feel like they can run their own business. It\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking forward, Sternberg said she envisions Songa Designs International collaborating with other like-minded businesses to help provide further opportunities to artisan communities in Africa. Songa is currently working with Mrembo Africa, a company founded in 2013 by vulnerable women who were living in the slums of Nairobi. Mrembo Africa produces products that are sold on the local Maasai market in Kenya.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to focus more on collaboration instead of competition,\u201d she said. \u201cWorking with Mrembo and other talented artists in Kenya not only allows us to expand our design portfolio, but work with other women who are doing awesome things to help them create the life they want.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information on Songa Designs International, visit SongaDesigns.com<\/a>, for follow them at facebook.com\/SongaDesigns<\/a> or on Instagram, @songadesigns<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/web-MAIN-IMG_8515.jpg\")
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