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Our story began in 2008, when my husband, Michael, and I started an innovative financial inclusion business in East Africa. The company's mission is to economically empower rural communities by reducing payment costs, increasing security and, most importantly, promoting savings.
During our time in East Africa, we met a number of artisans who struggled to access a wide market for their labor intensive, hand-crafted goods. Many of these artisans were women who used the majority of their earrings to pay for the education of their children. In most developing countries, the financial burden of education falls largely on households, and especially on the mothers who manage them.
OboraLux was created as an online platform using traditional crafts as a tool for change and empowerment. Each purchase helps in our mission to economically empower local communities and increase cultural awareness.
Our mission is to empower our artisan partners by promoting traditional crafts, sustainable practices and economically empowering local communities through sustainable market access.
Economic Empowerment
Education is an important driver of economic empowerment. In most developing countries, the financial burden of education falls largely on households, and especially on the mothers who manage them. By purchasing creations from our creators through the OboraLux marketplace, you are directly supporting these women to educate their children and elevate their household.
Cultural Awareness
At OboraLux we believe that travel fosters the best creativity, cultural awareness, understanding and appreciation. We hope to play a small part in expanding cultural awareness through the products and the stories we share.
I'm Obora, founder of Oboralux. I was born and raised in tropical Guyana, South America.
My mother and father were both teachers and their example inspired me to became one myself. In addition to leading OboraLux, I teach history and special education to high school children in New Jersey.
I attribute my interest in fashion and traditional crafting techniques to my maternal grandmother, a talented seamstress who supported her family in Guyana with traditional techniques of embroidery.
The name OboraLux is an amalgamation of my name and the word "lux", a measurement of light. My aspiration is to position OboraLux to cast light on the world's cultures, talents and creations.