We are so excited to welcome Alison from No.41 to the blog today to share a little bit about their business and how they are impacting lives! 
"No.41 literally means FOR ONE. We started in March 2012 with 16 girls from the local orphanage in Gisenyi, Rwanda with the intention of teaching them the culturally relevant trade of sewing and empowering them to give back to their local community. For each bag sewn, a young woman earns a sustainable income and a child receives a hot, healthy lunch every day at school for the entire year. Currently, No.41 employs 32 young women and 6 men feeding 870 students and 36 teachers, every day." 
"An average workday doesn't really pertain to us! At the beginning, we had more structure, 8am-4pm Monday-Friday. And let's just say sewing, laughing and Justin Bieber dance parties were on the schedule. Now, that still goes on, but the girls work solely on commission and are able to come and go whenever they want, because that's what worked best for everyone. We rent both houses inside our little compound. The front house we share with some of the girls, and the back house is No.41 workspace. So we are able to work from the comfort of the living room while still being available for the girls and any needs that may come up throughout the day. Every day is a new adventure." 
"One of our favorite things about the space is our photo wall. Literally being able to see the whole journey through photos has been a reminder of how far we've all come in a little over a year." 
"We love the display wall, which is actually in the living room of our house. Just as we were ready to open up shop, or landlord was knocking down the house in the back of ours to build what is now the No.41 house. As old dusty, dirty, fabulously charming doors and windows were piling up to head to the dumpster, we snatched them up to display our products on. We have visitors who come through often, so we like to change it up and make it feel fresh. We love the "store front" feel it gives to our little part of the world."
Thank you so much for sharing, Alison! If you'd like to learn more about No.41, you can check out their website and their online store! xo.
83 Comments
You’ve gone back up in my estimation. Well done for featuring a business which isn’t just whimsical with no soul, filtered down from Pinterest.
This is great! Well done, guys! 🙂
THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!! I’m so inspired by these women, their creations and their hearts! What an incredible space! 🙂
This is so great! I’ve read up on this company before, and they do such amazing work, so I think it’s awesome that you featured them today!
xx
youngmildandfree.wordpress.com
This is a great post. Its really great to hear about people who are really trying to help others.
http://secretsofahappygirl.blogspot.co.uk/
This is so inspiring – definitely going to check out their online shop!
This is amazing, great work!
this post is sooooo awesome!!! total change of pace. so inspiring, absolutely love it. thanks for sharing with us!
Oh my! What a beautiful business and story. Thank you for sharing! Amazing.
http://sometimesgracefully.com
Wow! What an amazing organization. I loved checking out the workspace and reading about the work they’re doing!
-Becca
http://ladyfaceblog.blogspot.com
This is amazing — what a great organization, very inspiring! not to mention great style as well.
Wow! This is wonderful. I love these kinds of social enterprises. It is something I hope to do myself in the future.
Thanks for sharing it on your blog!
What a beautiful business. Thank you for sharing. At the women’s shelter I volunteer at, the homeless women are taught now to make different things threw knitting or sewing. Those items are then sold and they get the profit. It is a great way for them to learn a new skill and how to manage money.
http://liveitinerantly.com
How lovely!! great store…
Valentina
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
This is such a cool house! And what a great organization.
What a cool company and really awesome space. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
xo
bre
brerogers.blogspot.com
What a great company!!
http://whiskeybreakfast.blogspot.com
Thanks girls for this sweet story. It is such a breath of fresh air to see people who are making a difference!!
this is such great work that they are doing! i’m so glad that there are companies out there that are willing to promote helping others an advocating for those who can’t do it on their own. great job girls!!
Great idea!! amazing post!
http://www.modaonlinegelolasvintage.com
Lovely work, it is so beautiful
What a great project! Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
Such a beautiful space and inspiring story!
xoxo
Taylor
http://www.welcomehometaylor.com
A huge F*** YES for badass women! Thank you a billion times for featuring this.
Such an inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful and important story. Gorgeous photos too!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GypsyPlunder?ref=si_shop
This is very, very cool and a fantastic feature.
People amaze me every day. Just wow.
Wonderful you featured this, these people are amazing! It’s so inspiring when people give something back while earning their living!
Absolutely gorgeous! Not only that but it’s a fantastic company doing work that really can make a difference. Thanks for sharing!
http://caitandtherealworld.wordpress.com
What a beautiful business! This is so inspiring!
xo, Juliette Laura
http://juliettelaura.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/InfiniteStyleShop
What a touching post! I love this type of activist consumerism! The products are really cute and fairly priced. Thanks for sharing!
http://broadappetite.com/
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing… One world, one love! I recently did a book recap about true love and somehow I find this very relatable.
xo,
Belen
http://www.androbeinsider.blogspot.com
This is such an inspiring “At Work” piece. Thank you so much for sharing!
I love this post, these are definitely amazing women and their smiles, warm hearts and creativity make me smile. I checked out the website and it’s now bookmarked. Thanks for the post!
so amazing! i love this story, very meaningful 🙂
xo
jenna
http://www.mamadazeblog.com
Love this post! Incredibly gorgeous work as well!
Thanks so much for introducing us to this company! I am obsessed with African fabric and I love the cause.
love handmade things and these are no exception due to the great cause! thanks for sharing this it was so inspiring! xx. gigi. http://www.gigikkitchen.blogspot.com
This is just amazing and wonderful. Thanks for sharing on your blog!
Amazing! I want that Diane signature bag! 🙂 And prolly will get it..:)
Amazing idea.
Thanks for sharing it on your blog! )
Thank you for sharing! One of the major important things in a charitable organization that I look for is that it’s not just giving things, but creating jobs. People don’t need a pair of shoes as much as they need a job and a sustainable income to provide for a family. That’s why I really respect organizations like these!
http://cuddlyasacactus.wordpress.com/
Very inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing. Will have to check this out now!
http://chictrends.co.uk/
Im obsessed with the outcome of their work!!! Love the african look to it, and above all, GREAT CAUSE!!!
http://lovelydesigned.wordpress.com/
would the company still support a girl if she became an atheist, i wonder…
What an amazing initiative! Thanks for much for sharing this important project with us.
http://www.fullbellywornsoles.com
Dear ABM team, thanks for using your space to share such a beautiful story! beautiful job!
It’s an amazing project! Thanks for sharing 🙂
NEW POST! http://www.smartdresser.net/
inspiring!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
My family always celebrates a “green” Christmas. We usually spend less on each other and give more to charities. The gifts that we do give are either green in nature; ie experience, hand-made, sustainable, or gift items like the No. 41 bags. I’ll be sure to pass this along, I’d love to support it!
What a beautiful business!!!
Amazing post. Glad I got to read it. 🙂
Ohh wow, I’m impressed you guys shared this! How lovely, I used to organize dinner parties and give all the gainings to a similar school in Mozambique.. This touched my heart. I think I would love to re-organize one of those diners..
http://www.skinobsession.blogspot.com
Beautiful.
Definitely a great “At Work With” post. It feels like I can get to know each individual woman through the “Meet the Girls” page, which makes this company so interesting! I also really like how each product is named after whomever made it. What a cool idea! But the best, of course, is knowing that each beautiful product is made by talented hands, not to mention its for a great cause. Keep it up No.41!
so great of you to present this team! It’s always inspiring to see that people take action and help others and this action helps people do something with their lives. so great that these women get independence and mostly that a child gets food for a year!thanks for this post! xxx
Would love to see more of these kind of stories. Well done!!
This is so touching and inspiring, all the best for them, thank you for sharing!
xo
Such a wonderful feature!! Just visited No.41’s online shop and the bags are really amazing..thanks for sharing !!
This brought tears to my eyes actually, such a beautiful organization and set of photos. Beautiful colors.
Great story girls, Would love to hear about more organisations like this using creativity to help others.
Wow! Definitely checking out their online store. 😀
I love that this is on ABM. So happy to see this. Yay Alison and No. 41!
I love hearing about companies like this. Wonderful!
Love love this post !!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing
very beautiful. i feel so inspired by your crafts. Keep your creativity high 🙂
I love every one of your posts basically, but I’m very glad to see you spreading the word of solidarity
This is amazing! It’s just wonderful and inspiring to see how much can be done in little time. Organizations like these need the publicity, so thanks for sharing on your platform:)
Very interesting post!!!
so inspiring!
–Leeds
at this volume
Thank you so much for sharing this! I absolutely love the idea. I want to start something like this in Zambia!
thank u for this!
made my day!
Awesome story! I love how they’ve decorated their space. It’s so encouraging to see people doing something to help others.
I loved this post, thanks! I am going to be following their awesome work and blog.
How awesome! Thanks for sharing, this is by far one of my favorites! It’s so fascinating to see where people work.
Best At Home With..ever!
-Maggie
maggiefinejewelry.com
I can’t wait to learn more about them. I love businesses that help worthy causes.
Thank you so much for bringing this to light! Beautiful <3
This is such an awesome idea! I really love there backpacks and aprons!!
What a wonderful space and such a great thing they are doing! I just ordered my Diana bag and I can’t wait for it to arrive, thanks for putting me in touch with an organization doing good things! : ) Now that’s beautiful!
Thanks so much for sharing this with us, l’ve just bought two bags as Christmas presents. xx
What an amazing initiative!
Oh great! They live my dream actually! Yay for fair business!
This is beautiful. You don’t have to have a fancy work space to make a change.
AMAZING!!! How can I get one of these rugs??
“I took Requip and all I got was this lousy yarn.”
True Religion Jeans Sale http://www.religionjeans.co.uk/