GOGO OLIVE KNITS

Gogo Olive KNITS is the business side of Gogo Olive. We aim to be self-sufficient as a business so we are sustainable. This gives us the best possible chance of surviving in the challenging Zimbabwean financial climate!

Our aim at Gogo Olive KNITS is to create beautiful and unique products that are completely handmade, ethically produced, fairly traded and bring JOY!

SENSE OF PURPOSE

We recognise the sense of value and purpose that having employment brings, as well as the obvious financial benefits.  Being a part of Gogo Olive gives our ladies the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families and to experience the security and independence that comes with this.

ETHICALLY PRODUCED

One of our main goals is to give each of our ladies the opportunity to earn a living wage (living wage (n.) – a wage sufficient for a worker and their family to live comfortably).  We also provide the ladies with training in budgeting skills.  They use Savings Schemes to make their money go further each month.  Zimbabwe has a particularly unpredictable financial situation so we are constantly reviewing how to make sure we are doing the best for our ladies – this can be quite a challenge!

BRING JOY

There is a sense of joy and achievement in making something beautiful and to a standard of excellence. We want to make products that bring joy to those who purchase or receive them – both through their unique appearance and in the knowledge that it has directly benefited the lives of a family in Zimbabwe. 

CREATING LINKS

We want to create links between the producer (our Gogo knitters) and the consumer (you) as we believe we can learn a lot from each other.  We do this by adding the name and photo of the lady who knitted it to each of our products and by having a section of our website dedicated to telling the stories of each of our individual ladies and giving you the opportunity to send a message to your knitter. 

GOGO FAMILY

We also work at creating a work environment where everyone feels included and where we can share the ups and downs of life together – supporting each other in the tough times and celebrating together in the good times.  Our workshop can be a very noisy place to be but I love how the ladies are so quick to laugh, dance, sing and it really does feel like we are a family.