As Valentine’s Day, the holiday of love, approaches, consider purchasing a gift that will not only send love to your Valentine but will send love in the form of a donation to Haiti. Through 2/14/10, The Leakey Collection will donate 10% of all orders placed through this website to Partners in Health. At checkout, click the box “Do you want to add a gift message?” and type “Haiti.”

Along with the rest of the world, we’ve watched the news from Haiti and mourn for a country and a people devastated by the recent earthquake. We hear story after heartbreaking story, though we all experienced a rare moment of joy on Wednesday when, amazingly, rescuers pulled a young girl from the rubble after 15 days! But with millions suffering in a country that was struggling even before the January 12th earthquake, assistance in the form of food, water, shelter and medical aid will be needed for a long time.

Like us, you may have wondered how you can help and where your money will do the most good. Although there are many reputable organizations that are truly providing much needed aid, we have chosen to contribute to Partners in Health.   PIH has worked in Haiti for nearly twenty-five years and is one of the largest non-governmental health care providers in the country. NBC Nightly News recently reported how to find charities that have a real track record and proven effectiveness listing Partners in Health was one of those organizations.

Thank you for joining us and Partners In Health to “Stand with Haiti.”

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

The renowned American anthropologist may not have been speaking specifically about young people when she said those words, but one 6th grade class in California believes their involvement CAN change the lives of children in Africa for the better. Read, in their own words, the account of two children who had compassion on children on the other side of the world.

RYAN’S STORY

Our 6th grade class had the amazing honor to host Katy Leakey in our very own room. While she was there, she told us all about a normal day for a child living in the Kenyan bush.

We learned that they use scraps of plastic as their soccer balls. They use string to tie the plastic together in a round shape.

Another difference is that the Maasai parents decide which of their kids go to school and which children become herders. This decision can really affect the outcome of a kid’s life. The herder in the family is respected because he protects the animals, which are a family’s wealth.  I feel really lucky that that I get to go to school.

One more interesting fact is that one person makes lunch for the whole school, which can be up to 1000 kids!  I wouldn’t want to have that job!

After Katy left, my class had the outstanding idea to buy kids in Africa real soccer balls. We decided to sell Friendship Bracelets and raise money for the African kids.   The timing was perfect because it was just at Christmas time. So they are going to get a great present from some students in California that are ready to make a difference in this great world of ours.

Now I bet you are wondering how much money we made. The grand total was, drum role please, dadadadadadadadada, 650 dollars which is over 30 soccer balls. When my mom gave me the grand total I was so amazed I started dancing.

Click here to watch the children playing with their homemade soccer balls of plastic or old torn socks and bits of cloth tied into a tight ball.

SOPHIE’S STORY

My class is very into community service and helping other people by using random acts of kindness and such.  One project my class and I became extremely interested in was the story of the Maasai women in Africa.  A woman by the name of Katy Leakey and her husband founded the Leakey Collection in 2002 and ever since then have devoted their lives to helping the Maasai women in Africa earn their livings by making these beads for the bracelets out of Zulugrass in Africa.  Katy was in San Diego a few months ago and told us what it would be like to be a child living in Africa.

For example, the woman of the family would have to walk 3-10 kilometers to bring water back for her family.  Also, being a child there would include getting up every morning and walking to a classroom which is nothing more than a dirt floor and maybe a tarp overhead to shield them from the hot blazing sun.  When she was done, my class and I felt like we wanted to help the kids in Africa improve their way of living.  Finally we thought of a way to do just that.  During Katy’s talk she told that one of the kids’ favorite things to do was play soccer whenever they got the chance (which was very often).  Sadly, their soccer balls were nothing but pieces of old plastic wound together with string, so we decided to sell bracelets to earn money to buy them soccer balls. It makes me feel very special knowing that each of us will be wearing these bracelets and be connected through a random act of kindness.

We are SO PROUD that this class of 6th graders realizes their generation has the power and responsibility to transform lives, to make a difference, to provide hope, to make a better world.  Could this be the beginning of a new movement? Who knows where it could lead?

Happy 2010!  May this be the best year yet for TLC and all of you!!!  Philip and I returned from our holiday rested and ready to go for a successful year.  We are getting production up and running this week as people slowly return from their holidays around the country.

The good news in Kenya is that we have been getting a lot of rain!!!  It began on Christmas Day and hasn’t stopped!  Our roads were washed away, and it took the road crew a week to repair the main one up our steep hill so that we could come home.  The road to the workshop was also washed away which they managed to repair just in time for us to begin work.  Although the plants are green, unfortunately the grass is slow in coming.  The seed base was exhausted during the drought so it will take a couple of months for the grazing animals to have enough to eat, providing the rains continue.  Everyone here considers this rain a blessing!  It is a good sign for prosperity in 2010.

We hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday and look forward to this trade show season with gusto!  We are showcasing some exciting new and updated products that we can’t wait for you to see and experience! If you’re attending one of our shows, please come by to check out TLC Marula Oil, nature’s secret to healthy, younger looking skin and find out what African women have enjoyed for hundreds of years.  See our website for details on the shows.

Good luck in 2010 and thank you. It is a real pleasure to be partners with each of you.  We truly are blessed!