Same Sky
{{for|Thai journal|Same Sky Books}}
{{multiple issues|
{{COI|date=October 2016}}
{{refimprove|date=October 2016}}
}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Same Sky
| caption =
| type =
| foundation = {{Start date|2007}}
| founder = Francine LeFrak
| location = New York City, New York, United States
| area_served = USA
| key_people =Francine LeFrak
(CEO and founder)
| products = Jewelry, bracelets, earrings
| homepage = [http://www.samesky.com samesky.com]
}}
Same Sky is a cause-based trade initiative that provides training and employment for HIV-positive women survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. Same Sky is headquartered in New York City.
In 2013, Same Sky began to employ women in America through the Same Sky America Pilot Project in Jersey City. Called Same Sky America, this project works with the women of the Most Excellent Way Learning Life Center who are working to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
In 2007 Francine LeFrak founded Same Sky partners with the handicraft organization Gahaya Links in Kigali, Rwanda.{{cite web|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2011/march/20110310samesky|title=Women under the Same Sky|website=www.UNAIDS.org|access-date=January 18, 2018}} Same Sky also partners with select online retailers, including the nonprofit Shopping for a Change.{{cite web|url=https://shoppingforachange.org/collections/same-sky|title=Shopping for a Change: Same Sky|website=ShoppingForAChange.org|access-date=January 18, 2018}}
The women artisans that Same Sky employs make crocheted glass-beaded bracelets, which are made from hand-blown glass beads from California.
Same Sky products can be seen on celebrities such as Bono, Halle Berry, Ben Affleck, Meryl Streep, Fergie, Hillary Clinton, Usher, and Kris Jenner.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}
Founder
Francine LeFrak is the daughter of New York real estate developer Samuel J. LeFrak. She has had a distinguished career in television, theatrical and film production. In 2012, she fully shifted her focus to philanthropy.
On top of these honors Francine was recognized by the United Nations with a Women Together Award as well as an Ellis Island Medal of Honor and a Human Spirit Award. LeFrak founded Same Sky in 2007 to aid and support those affected by the Rwandan genocide.
In 2024, she was honored at Barnard College for starting the Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being. The Center educates students on financial, physical, and mental well-being.
= Notable works =
- Shot Through the Heart (producer)
- Miss Rose White (producer)
- Mi vida loca (producer)
- The Infiltrator (producer)
Rwandan genocide (1994)
The Rwandan genocide was a 100-day period from April 7 to mid-July 1994 when approximately over 800,000 Rwandans were killed. This marked 70% to 80% of the Tutsi population, but the genocide ended when the Rwandan Patriotic Front led by Paul Kagame gained control in the country.
The genocide was orchestrated by individuals who held high positions in the national government. While the period was brief the genocide had a major effect on Rwanda. Rape was used as a weapon, causing a huge rise in HIV infection. Not only was the population depleted but also the infrastructure of the country suffered huge damage.
Same Sky America
Although the company was founded to help those affected by the Rwandan genocide, its efforts have continued in America to support formerly incarcerated women. Same Sky prides itself on avoiding handouts and instead giving women the tools they need to lead a successful life. Francine LeFrak worked with The Most Excellent Halfway House to train previously incarcerated women to create jewelry and earn a steady income.
LeFrak Center for Well-Being at Barnard College
Opened at Barnard College in October 2024, "The Francine LeFrak Center, which is the first of its kind and truly innovative in higher education, offers holistic support across three key pillars of health and wellness — physical, mental, and financial well-being — to foster resilience and promote lifelong success." https://barnard.edu/news/barnard-college-opens-francine-lefrak-foundation-center-well-being
History
In 2007, Francine’s LeFrak's friend Willa Shalit, who produced baskets and jewelry in Rwanda through her company, asked her to consider designing and marketing different types of mesh bracelets. LeFrak agreed to do so, and she worked to create a unique design that was both cost-efficient and reproducible by Rwandan artisans. LeFrak found and fell in love with a design created by AIDS activist and artist Mary Fisher that featured hand-blown glass beads. She quickly began to expand on it, and to grow this prototype into a wide range of colors and collections. Willa then encouraged her to take over production and grow the project on her own.
Once she began production, Francine learned about a group of women that were involved in the Rwandan genocide that had been raped and contracted HIV/AIDS. She then starting working with a handful of these abused women that had been trained to crochet by Mary Fisher. Francine then shipped the glass beads from the United States to Rwanda by sending suitcases with friends who happened to be traveling to this area. This marked the beginning of Same Sky's production, and it has sold over 45,000 pieces of jewelry since.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.samesky.com/}}
- [https://www.falfoundation.org Lefrak Foundation] Website
- [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0499074 IMDB] Production credits