Best of 2017
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Welcome to Mariposa Skies' best of 2017! And when I say best of 2017, I mean the best of how Mariposa Skies gave back this year.
Best of 2017: How we gave back
It is with a grateful heart that I share this with you today. I am proud and honored to say that through your support and purchases in 2017, Mariposa Skies has donated in your honor to the following causes, organizations and environment!
Because of you...
We planted 200 trees all over the globe through Oxfam.
Expert from Oxfam:
"Trees not only produce life-sustaining crops like avocados and bananas, but they also prevent erosion and provide much-needed shade for coffee and other staple plants— which means that these trees are a key to economic growth and a greener world." *
We helped raise money for refugees in Japan by supporting my friend Fumie run a marathon to help support the work she and her organization does through Japan Association for Refugees - JAR 難民支援協会.
Fumie said this about her work:
"People that have escaped their country due to human rights violations or conflicts have come to Japan as well. Many people happened to be destined for Japan, and there are no acquaintances they can rely on, and they face difficult circumstances since they reached Japan. Without adequate public support during refugee application, they must start working as soon as possible in order to survive.
As a staff member of the employment support team, I help the refugees find jobs in Japan so that they can be self-supporting. I would like to continue to improve the environment where refugees can show their strength and contribute to Japanese society through working.
We believe that having refugees work, and creating the society that allows to do so, gives very positive impacts not only for refugees but also for Japan. This is because the diverse backgrounds of refugees, the expertise learned in their homeland are valuable assets for Japan."
We supported 5 women, solo entrepreneurs in their businesses through the organization Oxfam.
Excerpt from Oxfam:
"Invest in a different kind of startup. Boost women’s entrepreneurship when you help start a village savings group. Led by local women, the group provides a safe place to save and lend where banks are few and far between. Members can use their loans to launch or grow small businesses—and when women prosper, their entire families benefit. Now that’s a smart business plan!" *
We provided safe drinking water to people around the world though charity: water.
Excerpt from charity:water:
"We're passionate about solving the water crisis in our lifetime, using 100% of all public donations to fund water projects, and proving where every dollar goes with photos and GPS coordinates. Here's the progress we've made since we started working in 2006.
- 24,537 Water projects funded
- 7,347,032 People will get clean water
- 25 Local partners
- 24 Countries
"We fund water programs in 24 countries around the globe - in Africa, Asia, Central and South America. Water scarcity, poverty, political stability and strong partner organizations all play a part in where we choose to work. We focus on providing rural communities with their first access to clean water." *
We took part in the #IStandForGirls movement through the organization Kurandza which provides holistic education to girls in Mozambique.
Excerpt from Kurandza:
"Kurandza is a non-profit social enterprise that invests in the future of women in Mozambique. Through education, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development programs, women learn to become leaders in their villages, sharing their skills and knowledge with the rest of their community, and creating opportunity for thousands of people.
What makes us different from other organizations? We listen to the needs of the people on the ground in Mozambique. Local needs drive the projects we create and fund, which ensures that our projects generate the most impact possible.
Kurandza means "to love" in Changana, the local language of the people we work with in Mozambique.
Your gift allows us to provide holistic education programs to our girls in Mozambique. These programs include health education, after-school tutoring, extra-curricular activities, parent-teacher conferences, and empowerment workshops!" *
We donated $254 to the World Food Programme’s Syrian Fund through your purchases of Balinese Friendship Bracelets.
Excerpt from World Food Programme's Syrian Fund:
"The World Food Programme (WFP) has been active in Syria since 1961.
In response to the alarming situation in Syria right now, WFP has been providing life-saving food assistance in order to save lives and protect livelihoods in all 14 governorates, including hard-to-reach and besieged areas. Under this program, WFP aims to reach 4 million people each month with food rations consisting of rice, bulgur wheat, pasta, dried and canned beans and more, providing people with 1,700 kcal a day for one month.
In addition to providing general food assistance, WFP has introduced activities to address the specific nutrition needs and education concerns of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children. This includes blanket supplementary feeding for children aged 6 months to 59 months to prevent malnutrition; nutritional support for pregnant and nursing women, aiming to increase their dietary diversity; and fortified school snacks for school-aged children to encourage enrollment and regular attendance rates and improve their micronutrient intake.
In April 2017, WFP delivered food assistance for almost 420,000 people in hard-to-reach and besieged areas across Syria through inter-agency cross-line convoys, crossborder and air operations." *
We provided continuous support, growth, and love to 18 individual artisans and small business owners in Morocco, Japan, Argentina and Bali.
Through your support and purchases here at Mariposa Skies, you are directly supporting each and everyone of them. The more you purchase and share what Mariposa Skies is doing with friends and family, the more I am able to support and help the artisans and their businesses.
We planted hundreds of milk weed seeds that supported and helped the beautiful monarch butterfly populations flourish through Save Our Monarchs Foundation.
Excerpt from Save Our Monarchs Foundation:
"Monarchs made headline news when the number of monarch butterflies hibernating in Mexico plunged to its lowest level ever. In early 2014, monarch butterflies were found in only 1.7 acres -- compared to a high of 45 acres in 1996.
The reason is because milkweed plants are disappearing all across the U.S. Milkweed is the monarch butterfly’s only source of substance. Their habitat is disappearing!
Monarch caterpillars need the milkweed plants to grow into monarch butterflies. No milkweed, no monarchs. It's that simple.
Ours is not an elegant organization. We are a family of six families, who depend on YOU to help to rebuild the Milkweed population!
So, please join us in planting milkweed, the lifeblood of the developing monarch butterfly."
Best of 2017: Paying it Forward into the New Year
When I was tallying up everything and making all of the final donations for 2017, I could not believe everything we were able to contribute to this year. As I look into the year ahead, I have decided to change things up a bit. In 2018 I am inspired to do even more and instead of giving back to various organizations, Mariposa Skies will be paying it forward to the artisans themselves this time around. So how will that look? Well each quarter I will pay it forward and give each artisan 10% of profits made in that quarter. It's as simple as that. After all, it is because of the artisans that Mariposa Skies exists and I want to continue to help them grow and strive to be better and do better. I also want to show how appreciative I am of their work and really truly show that I 100% believe in what they do.
Again, ALL of this is because of YOU and I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
Cheers to 2017 and here is to an even more amazing 2018!
Katy Schlegel
Creator and Owner of Mariposa Skies
Will you share with me your Best of 2017? Post a comment, I would love to hear from you!
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*All excerpts and photographs were sourced directly from the people or websites of the organizations linked in this post.