By David Sibbald - Founder of Sumerian Foundation
I've just come back from a two week visit to Kenya, looking at how things are going on some of our existing projects and evaluating a couple of new things we're hoping to start up later in 07.
Probably the most interesting thing we've done over the past year has been to start Johari - a great model for a not for profit social enterprise. What's been interesting is how a community of people - artists, designers, musicians - both in Kenya and in Scotland have become engaged with Johari very quickly, not because we've asked them to, but because they've resonated with our model and our purpose and have become part of the fabric of our business.
A big part of our early success has been the the philosophy that we want people to buy our products primarily because they're beautifuly designed and crafted and not because they're helping a philanthropic venture. This has been an important lesson for the destitute teenage girls who undertake their vocational training at the Seed of Hope schools.
Its also been interesting to observe how market based success has played such a big part in building their self-confidence and self-esteem; when the girls at the schools see Miss Kenya wearing one of their gowns in the Miss World contest and see the fashion show we hosted in Nairobi two weeks ago appear on KTN (Kenya Television Network), the impact is dramatic.
We're running a couple of fashion shows in Dundee and Edinburgh this month to give some exposure to our new designs and to seek out additional partners willing to put some time and/or money into helping grow Johari and to help build a sustainable philanthropic model that can be replicated and scaled. Last point, take a look at a couple of preview pictures of our new designs, photos and make-up courtesy of Jimi Rae and Sarah Bates.