Sew REDI Buffalo (SRB), a refugee economic development initiative founded by the Canisius Enactus team in 2011 and staffed entirely by student and community volunteers, is selling tote bags to assist refugees in the Buffalo area.

SRB educates, empowers and creates a just and cooperative community through sewing. Shree Tamang is one of many SRB clients who attend weekly three-hour classes where they are given a new sewing machine and learn to sew and create products to sell. Tamang, his wife Indra and their two children resettled in Buffalo in 2014 from Nepal.

With the assistance of SRB, Tamang has successfully applied for an Individual Development Account through Belmont Housing Resources for Western New York.  By saving a targeted amount in the next six months, Tamang will qualify for a grant four times that amount to assist him in expanding his sewing business.

The impact of your purchase of SRB products can be measured in dollars and cents.  The refugee who makes your item receives 100 percent of the profit.  SRB promotes sales through the Sew REDI Etsy store and at festivals and craft shows.

• Shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/SewREDI (new products are regularly added).
• Visit http://www.sewredibuffalo.com/ to learn more about SRB and how you can contribute to our mission to educate, empower, and create community.
• Contact Dr. Patricia Hutton, Enactus faculty advisor, at hutton@canisius.edu or Patrick Murray, Enactus SRB student project leader, at murray69@canisius.edu.
  

Submitted by: Patricia A. Hutton, PhD, professor, economics