Operated solely by 16 Zambian sewers, a Zambian self-help ministry sold Zambian clothing and products in the Campus Center to make money for the women of Zambia.

This ministry is called Bana Bags. The word “bana” comes from the tribal language Chitonga, meaning many children.

Founded in 2008, Bana Bags was created by two women involved with Zambia Medical Missions, Benita Thomas and Sheryl Ramsey. Since then, over 100 Zambian women and children have been provided money for the cost of living.  

Dani Bates, a junior nursing major from Arlington, TX, became involved with Bana Bags this past summer as she spent eight weeks in Zambia through World Wide Witness.

While being in Zambia, Bates gathered the material needed for the Zambian women to sew Bana Bags products.

“It’s nice because you get to know the women who made them [Bana Bags],” said Bates.

For an average employed Zambian women, their take-home income each day is three dollars, said Bates. How Bana Bags supports Zambian women is by choosing Zambian women who are struggling to support orphans that they have taken in their homes.

When these women are chosen they are trained to use a sewing machine and then are giving chitenge fabric to use to sew Zambian products such as purses, children dresses, hats, aprons and other products.

Chitenge is a popular fabric used in Zambia and other African countries.

After one year of sewing, these Zambian women exchange their self-made products for more chitenge fabric for the next year.

These products are then sent to the United States and are sold at churches or college campuses to earn money for the Zambian women.

To know more information on Bana Bags, you can follow them on their Facebook page