OBRA SOCKS

Hello, everyone! I'm Paulo, just Pau for short. My start-up company, Obra, is a form of social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship means addressing social problems through entrepreneurial skills.

As we all know, COVID-19 made a number of families homeless because of inability to provide for basic needs due to business closures and little help from the government. Paying rents and utilities made it difficult for them eventually leaving them with no choice but to take the streets or some place else. This is a serious problem in our society. And I can't just let that happen.

I'm a regular employee working on a 10-hour day shift. I'm lucky enough to be working in retail so the quarantine measures didn't really affect my job since my work is still part of the "essential jobs" to sustain our economy during this pandemic. As I continued working on-site despite the massive lockdown, I was able to witness homeless people (at least 10 of them) tirelessly beg for food or money each passing day. Although I'm very much eager to lend a hand, I can't help but worry that I might be one of those getting the shorter end of the stick as I still sustain myself and contribute in my family's expenses - just enough for how much I'm earning. At the back of my mind, I knew there's still a way to help. So I thought of building a brand around social entrepreneurship to express my way of helping them and the community around me.

The business is still in planning stage. Basically, I will be selling Obra socks that will be made with sustainable bio fabrics through online market and as I collect the profit, customers will be hitting two birds with one stone as they will be helping me in providing food for the homeless in my community. Hunger is a silent global pandemic and it kills tens of thousands every day. Support me by marketing or purchasing socks and together, let's help these people. I'm not rich and I certainly don't have a lot. I only have with me this idea and a dream to make a positive change in my country.