What we do
We make quality children’s clothes in Uganda for sale worldwide. Our funky playful designs are aimed at Western buyers. We currently use a mixture of imported and locally-produced fabrics; our aim is to use as many East African derived raw materials as possible.

Our aim
We want to secure a regular income for a growing team of Ugandan staff: Lizzie and Clare are working not-for-profit. Sweetshop is not a sweatshop - we guarantee our staff a fair wage. Our passion is to see jobs created in a stagnant labour market, where skilled tailors are currently doing unskilled work because there is no market for what they produce. As we grow, we will create apprenticeship positions for especially vulnerable young people such as AIDS orphans.

We are a business, not a charity. We will stand or fall by what we produce. Your custom is important to us and so is your feedback. Please tell us how we can improve by emailing lizzie@sweetshop-clothing.co.uk.

Meet the Sweetshop team

Lizzie Schofield (in orange!) lives in Uganda with her husband Rob and little girls Emma, Gloria and Katherine. Her hobbies include writing (view Lizzie's blog here), jogging and pureeing root vegetables. She met Clare at antenatal class in London and got the idea for Sweetshop after meeting Eva. For sales, production and delivery enquiries please email lizzie@sweetshop-clothing.co.uk. Clare Benians is the mother of Oliver and Faye. Nick, her husband, is a clinical psychologist. Clare works part-time for a dairy cooperative focusing on internal communications and PR. Having practised deep breathing with Lizzie, they met later in hospital as Oliver and Emma were born on the same day. For marketing, UK and other enquiries please email clare@sweetshop-clothing.co.uk.

Eva works as Lizzie's housekeeper and is the sole breadwinner in her family. She has three children of her own - Trevor, Trisha and Terry. She has recently taken in Aghard who was abandoned by his parents. She loves sewing and is very excited about the business. "When I get an order, I make sure it's the best product to satisfy the client" she says. "When they are happy, I am contented."

Irene lives with her mother, a physiotherapist to children with HIV. She comes from a polygamous family and is one of 25 children. She uses her income from sewing to support her siblings and to pay for her higher education.

We would love to see this page get bigger! If you would like to support us in any way - perhaps by selling our clothes or offering your IT or design services - we 'd love to hear from you. Email clare@sweetshop-clothing.co.uk.