From little acorns
May 15th, 2008 by Katie
For today’s post, we’re heading back to this week’s featured supplier, Fifi Bijoux, to find out a bit about her project, ‘From Little Acorns’, which shows us how small things can make a big difference…
What is the ‘From Little Acorns’ project?
‘From Little Acorns’ came about when Vivien Johnston of Fifi Bijoux met Margaret Tumuwire , director of The Entebbe Women’s Association in Uganda. Both women were guest speakers at a mining conference in Mongolia, where they had been invited to share their experiences and views of the fair trade model in mineral mining.
After the event, over a cold glass of much needed lemonade they discussed how they could join forces to benefit the HIV orphans (children who had lost both parents to the illness) whom Margaret had explained were working in the mines.
Vivien decided to design a pendant which would raise awareness of their situation and dedicate a percentage of the profits to sponsoring these children’s education.
The theme was ‘From Little Acorn’s, Mighty Oaks Will Grow’. The ‘From Little Acorns’ pendant, (which features a little Acorn alongside an Oak Leaf drop) launched at London Fashion Week and has featured in Marie Claire magazine in March, as well as glossy magazines from Europe to China.
5 children were sent to school within a month of it’s launch and a further 5 are now being prepared for their new life – no more risking their young lives working in mines, but instead they will be receiving an education.
Having seen pictures of the first 3 children under the Fifi Bijoux sponsorship programme, Vivien realised that the school uniform they received as part of the sponsorship was only a part of preparing these children for their new opportunity.
She launched a shoe box appeal, asking local businesses to involve staff in making ‘school bag kits’ which could each fit into a shoe box. These include pocket dictionaries, pencils, crayons, notebooks, solar calculators and basic items like soap, toothbrush etc – so items that most people could pick up in a grocery store.
The response was phenomenal, with the Sunday Times even featuring a piece about it. The International Emergency Relief Fund and Glasgow the Caring City (Vivien’s hometown!) have joined forces to arrange the logistics of delivery the goods to Entebbe. GtCC have also generously offered to match goods of whatever Vivien’s appeal raises.
What did Mr Darcy do?!
Mr Darcy – aka Colin Firth (as well as his lovely wife and 2 children) also got involved! They have sent recycled pencils, rulers, notebooks, toys, books and skipping ropes among other things!
Where can I find the ‘From Little Acorns’ pendant?
A stockist list is available at www.fifibijoux.com, or contact Vivien for your local retailer.
Can my office take part in the Shoe Box Appeal?
Yes! The boxes are going out at the end of June. However, we can only collect these from Glasgow based offices, so please allow a small budget for postage if you would like to take part (use a jiffy bag and we will sort the items here!). For more information, contact Vivien.