When Beth Peterson visited Tanzania in 2001, her heart went out to the shocking number of AIDS orphans living in the streets. “These young people had no jobs, education, or hope,” says Peterson, 50, a marketing and sales consultant in Elgin, Illinois. “Yet, it seemed like anything I could do would be just a drop in a bottomless bucket.” When she met Grace Ndunguru, a Tanzanian teaching about a dozen homeless girls to batik fabric to sell at the markets, a light bulb clicked on: she could also make a difference, one child at a time. That was the beginning of Haba Na Haba ⎯ “little by little” in Swahili.

Peterson started small, donating money to buy fabric and dye for Ndunguru’s protégées. Then, in 2005 she took a huge leap of faith, trading down her suburban home to invest in the futures of even more people. “I was inspired by Grace and other Tanzanian women I met who have so little, and such a generous spirit,” says Peterson, who has partnered with five small manufacturers of purses, table clothes and other cloth goods with beautiful East African silk-screened and embroidered designs. “I offered to work with a select group of craftswomen to improve the durability and appearance of their products, then sell their goods on a web site. They agreed to pay it forward by mentoring a handful of orphans ⎯ teach them a skill such as sewing or typing or woodworking, pay them a fair wage and provide healthcare. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

If you’re on the hunt for charming home accents that make a difference, check out Haba Na Haba. Five dollars from the sale of each playful animal-print cotton pillow cover (starting at $25) is donated to a Tanzanian charity that provides services for AIDS orphans. You can also support Congolese women who sell handmade “kuba” cloth at the Tanzanian border. One-of-a-kind appliquéd pillow covers (starting at $75) and purses (starting at $40) incorporate clan-specific designs have inspired the likes of Picasso and Monet.

Little by little, Peterson is filling the pot. Last year, Haba Na Haba trained 30 young people, and there are expansion plans for both product lines and job training in the coming year. “The idea was to start small, helping a few people at a time,” Peterson says. “Now, we’re building a network of women business owners doing exactly the same thing.” Together, all their small steps are adding up to make a huge difference.

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