About Us

The Story: 
From the Founder

Ally Karabu

Hi! Thanks for taking time to read the backstory. So, push back 5 years ago, this was a disjointed idea from a high schooler with a way-too-full extracurricular schedule. I have this desire and vision to centre and support the resilience and growth of marginalised communities. Maybe it's cause I have always found myself in both worlds, the privileges and disadvantages of my complex upbringing and identity. The idea has since grown into a social enterprise that uplifts local organisations across East and Southern Africa through something as simple — and meaningful — as a tote bag.

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My journey has been shaped by a global upbringing. Born in Iowa, I grew up across Rwanda, Tanzania, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya (which I hold as home), Canada, and now the U.S, mostly because of my father's work. Each move deepened both cultural richness and my awareness of other people’s stories, as well as my own. My grandparents and parents grew up as farmers in rural Nakuru and Nyandarua, where communities often do well on their own terms despite ‘underdevelopment’ narratives; however, the lack of an option to change in conditions they prefer is precisely what renowned Economist and Nobel-Prize winner, Amartya Sen, describes in having the choice to live a life they value:

“Development consists of the removal of various types of unfreedoms

that leave people with little choice and little

opportunity of exercising their reasoned agency.”

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(Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom, 1999, p. xii)

My father's exceptional academic excellence and hard work ethic are what made the life I have today possible. But, for many of his classmates, neighbours, and even some family members, stayed where he left them, some not by choice. When there are barriers to higher or quality education, minimal advocacy frameworks, insufficient financial safety nets, scarce or unreliable employment opportunities, and insufficient government supports - what choice, and therein what freedoms do they have really?

These are not abstract challenges, but ones that remain real for much of my family back home. It has shaped my passion for global development, not as a 'saviour' but from the conviction that communities like mine are fully capable of driving their own change when supported in meaningful partnership.

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Throughout my life, I have sought ways to live out that conviction. From helping craft reusable sanitary products for girls while in middle school in Ethiopia, to serving meals in Halifax soup kitchens, or representing countries and issues at Model United Nations conferences in Kenya and Montreal in High School and recently serving as President and Chair for World University Service of Canada’s Student Refugee Program in my undergrad. I’ve seen how local initiative and global dialogue can come together.
 

I have since recently attained an Honours BA in Global Development(25') at Huron at Western University in Canada, and am now pursuing my MSc in Climate(27') at Columbia University in New York as I serve as a Goetz Mauser Fellow at International House. I hope to scale Angaza Taa by refining operations and developing a strong team. Professionally, my time working with AKF in Kenya really sparked the love for social development with a curiosity to blend it with technical GIS/remote sensing and broader sciences of the very social and climate coastal resilience methods Angaza Taa supports!

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These years deepened my critical engagement with questions of what ethical, sustainable “development” could, does, or should not look like. That lens has greatly fueled Angaza Taa. What started as linocut-printed totes in my dorm room has become a growing venture that channels creativity into impact. 30% of every sale supports grassroots organizations working in conservation, climate resilience, women’s empowerment, and community development. We choose partners intentionally — organizations rooted in their communities, responsive to local needs, and deeply invested in sustainable futures.

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Angaza Taa continues to evolve alongside me. I'm continually striving to strengthen our partnerships, ethically grow, and sharpen our purpose: to create ethical, beautiful products and connect people across continents in building resilience, justice, and hope.

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My faith is deeply tied to my identity and passions. In a world marked by climate change, inequality, injustice, and corruption, it’s easy to feel at the mercy of chaos. Yet, Micah 6:8 challenges me, that in this chaos, my God given passion points to seeking justice, community, and humility in the pursuit of nursing a broken world.

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Angaza Taa is one way I live out that call — one tote, one partnership, one step at a time.