Safe Backpacks for a Better World
Pledge & Save Campaign: Part 2. Ensure pedestrian safety for yourself and for children in Africa. Help us make a better world.
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Campaign Info
We’ve upgraded the Jerrycan Bag from a simple container carrier to include safety features for pedestrians. With the second round of our “Pledge & Save ” Kickstarter campaign, we are asking our backers for support as we supply pedestrian safety bags not only to the children in Uganda, but to the generous supporters of our campaign, as well.
In Uganda, children carry jerrycans back and forth 6 km (3.7 miles) on average every day, just to make sure they have enough water to drink. These heavy containers burden the joints of these growing children. And more often than not, the children are walking along dangerous roads, without even the most basic traffic signs.
In 2021, we launched part 1 of our “Pledge and Save” Kickstarter campaign, where we designed new, environmentally friendly jerrycans to meet the demands of the modern world. And with each product funded, we gave a match donation of our Jerrycan bag to a child in Uganda. With your support, we delivered 509 Jerrycan bags to the children of Uganda.
JERRYBAG (Jerryway Inc.) opened a sewing machine studio in Uganda from 2014 and provided Ugandan women with the skills needed to tailor high quality Jerrycan bag. We’ve also been collaborating with global and local NGOs in the Uganda region to donate Jerrycan bags.
Sound by. Bensound <ukulele>
For many of Uganda’s children, Jerrycan bags are their very first bags. As such, many of their peers covet these bags, and the children keep the bags on their person at all times – even when they’re fetching water, in class, or trying to relax.
In the Ugandan country-side, there are few road signs to help pedestrians. When drivers aren’t paying attention, they can fail to see the children on the way to school, causing many accidents. Naturally, these accidents also happen when kids are coming home from school, too.
Darkness poses especially high risk for those traveling by foot. On a national basis, 76% of pedestrian fatalities occurred after dark in 2018. From 2009 to 2018, the number of nighttime pedestrian fatalities increased by 67%, compared to an increase of only 16% in daytime pedestrian fatalities.
The Jerrycan bag’s reflector patches reflect light, letting them serve as mini-traffic signs. Using the principle of retro-reflection, these patches let drivers better identify pedestrians when it’s dark out, thus reducing the rate of pedestrian accidents. The front and side of the bag are made with reflective material, making it easier for vehicles to see pedestrians wearing them.
Jerrycan bag comes with a label you can write on, letting you personalize your bag with details like your birthday, your personal catchphrase, nickname, and more.
We’ve also used masking tape to let you make your very own design alterations for a backpack like no one else’s. The custom tape protects the surface of the backpack, and ensures an even longer product life.
Jerrycan bag uses a design concept inspired by traffic signs to ensure safety for pedestrians.
The material used on the front and sides of the backpack increases the wearer’s visibility, reducing the rate of night visible accidents by 80%.
- DIN EN 13356 (Visibility accessories for non-professional use) Tested
- KS T3507-2019 Light reflecting test Approved
PE tarpaulin (“tarp”) is light and tough, making it a commonly used construction material in Africa and around the world. And unlike PVC, tarp is recyclable.
Our backpacks are made from high quality, 100% waterproof material.
Use as a backpack, or hold in your hand as a tote bag in crowded spaces such as public transit.
Jerrycan bag has an internal structure that can easily fit a 15 inch laptop and all kinds of personal items.
Jerrycan bag can easily stand up on its own for even more convenience.
l Fewer Pedestrian Accidents
By placing reflective material used in traffic signs on our backpacks, we aim to reduce the rate of pedestrian accidents by increasing pedestrian visibility – especially in places with poor signage and few or no sidewalks.
l Recyclable Design
The Jerrycan bag backpack features an entirely geometric design for a product that is over 95% recyclable. We also exclusively use materials procured from the region of manufacture to aid the local economy.
l A Hopeful Uganda
"We want more children to come to school." A Ugandan elementary school teacher told us that, when children have their own backpack, they have higher school attendance rates. This is one of the reasons why, even though Jerrycan bag was designed to carry water, we saw it commonly used as a school backpack. By gifting the children of Uganda, a backpack that protects them on the way to school, you’re helping protect the future of these children.
l Bringing Self-Sufficiency to the Women of Uganda
Our Kickstarter campaign allowed us to maintain our Jerrybag Uganda Studio, where we’ve been hard at work making Jerrycan bags for the children of Uganda. We provided the skills needed to sew these bags to 16 local women, giving them a place to work and competitive skills for the future. The campaign let us provide more than just bags to Uganda, but also places for women to become independent.
Our special design bag to stop unjust war in Ukraine.
This limited-edition bag is designed to express our wish for a peaceful Ukraine. Once our STOP WAR bags are funded, we will donate our made-in-Uganda SLOW DOWN bags to the children of Ukraine.
l 30ml mini Jerrycan
This tiny yellow bottle represents our Jerrybag product design. Fill it up and use however you wish!
l Custom tape
Every reward pack includes custom tape for you to decorate and design your own unique Jerrycan bag.
1. Environmentally friendly 800ml jerrycan made from Bio plastic
ECOZEN, which composes the bottle bodies, is the world’s first synthetic plastic made of biomass (materials extracted from grains such as corn and wheat). Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is hygienic, harmless, BPA-free, and without unpleasant smells. The bottle cap is made of PCR (Pre / Post-Consumer Resin), an upcycled material made by washing and recycling discarded PET bottles.
Customizable antibacterial sticker packs
An antibacterial DIY sticker pack comes with the bottle, so you can always keep the stories in mind and customize it with your style hygienically!
2. Environmentally friendly 800ml jerrycan made from paper plastic
This jerrycan is made from recycled paper and PET, and features a PCR (Post Consumer Recycled) lid.
Designed To Make Life Better
Social brand JERRYBAG (JERRYWAY INC.) creates sustainable products and services for a better society. Our designs are influenced by social issues, and we take a collaborative approach with local communities to solve them.
JERRYBAG Design LAB in Uganda
Jerrybag Uganda studio was established in 2014 and is located in Kampala, Uganda. We draw inspiration from Ugandan culture and life and embellish them into our product designs. The main purpose of Kampala design studio is to raise sales to donate Jerrycan bags to Ugandan children. Jerrycan bags that are donated to the children are all made by local women and their labor costs are all provided by the backer’s choice.
I love this idea, but I wish I knew how practically recyclable it is in my community rather than theoretically recyclable everywhere. When one recycles it, how does one remove the non-recyclable parts? What grade of recyclable is it? Is it a #1 or #2, or is it a #5?