Giving Back Part 1
I feel very fortunate and lucky to be able to not only go to Africa every year, but also to introduce people to Africa and help them realize that “bucket list” dream of going on Safari. Ever since I founded my safari company, I have been looking for a way to to give back to the people of Africa for my good fortune and for their kindness and graciousness.
Last December when I was visiting my rafiki (friend) Patrick – the Maasai Warrior whose education I have been helping to financially support [read about Patrick here] we discussed various business ideas we could do together. We both wanted to do something that would benefit the people of his village. As we talked, we thought about what the village needed and how we could best deliver that. One thing the village definitely needs is a well for water. The women of the village currently walk 6km, or about four miles, daily to get water for that day. Patrick also told me he wanted to make sure that the women of the village would have sufficient funds to pay the school fees for their children. The question we asked ourselves was how could the women raise money to do that?
The women of Patrick’s village are incredible bead artists. Their bracelets, chokers, necklaces, and other artistic creations are magnificent. Then it hit me. While there are many people who sell Maasai beaded jewelry in the United States there is no one selling Maasai Beaded Dog Collars! When I said it, Patrick and I looked at each other and realized we had stumbled on to something great!
So for the next several months the women of his village set to work and created dozens of Maasai Beaded dog collars for sale in the United States. Each one is different, and beautiful. And this August, I picked them up and brought them back. But we did not just want to sell collars; we wanted to let people know the story of the people who made them and how their sales will help them. Thus every collar has the initials of the woman who made it and you can read her story by going to our web site.
Think about it — for every 3 collars sold the women can send a child to school for a year. Right now the collars are for larger dogs with smaller sizes coming soon. And if you buy one of our one-of-a-kind collars please send us photos of your dog as a model! It is never too early to think of that holiday gift for your favorite pooch! Check out Dog Collars For Africa!
