We turned the mighty age of 10 years old last November, and although we’ve done LOTS in that time, nothing makes us prouder than our continued work with the Point Foundation in Gisenyi, Rwanda. Seeing the amazing progress they are making in the beautiful country that gives us our much loved everyday brew has always been one of the most rewarding parts of life at teapigs.
For us, March is a time to share with you the wonderful work Point Foundation do and shine a light on the teapigs ethical scheme – which has been a core part of teapigs for the past 8 years. (You just might not know it!)
Up until now, we’ve donated a percentage of every pack of everyday brew we sell – so, consciously or not – if you drink our everyday brew, you’re the reason we’ve managed to raise over $180,000 for The Point Foundation. Charles and Karen popped in recently to give us an update on how your donations are helping the lives of young and vulnerable children within tea growing communities:
Uniforms, lunches and books
We currently support 20 children with special educational needs who are being funded to attend the House of Children School, covering ‘hidden’ costs such as lunches and transport. In addition teapigs have contributed to the purchase of 400 books for the school, enabling more learning across different subjects.
Students
Only two of the original teapigs sponsored University students are left to complete their degree this year. What an end of an era! Looking back on the progress all the students have made has been astonishing as they are finishing up internships in biomedicine, writing dissertations and completing degrees in hospitality and tourism. Their futures’ are beaming bright.
The Turning Point House
Turning Point House was originally set up to support young adults who had left the orphanage to become independent or in between education and work. It will sadly be closing in 6 months, but teapigs have helped the house keep going for longer than anticipated which has made such a difference to those still needing to stay there. It has not been a place just offering a bed, food and safety but has become a space to allow the members to develop and find their confidence within.
The teapigs House
The Point Foundation runs a disability program in collaboration with the Gallagher Trust. They manage houses that provide specialist care and accommodation for disabled children and young adults. teapigs fully fund one of the houses – teapigs house - home to 9 people with disabilities. Our donations also go towards the upkeep of other houses.
There has been amazing progression with lots of members within the house who have taken big steps forward in their personal goals, their development of vital life skills, and improvements with their nutritional and medical care; all enhancing their happiness. However, due to food produce being immensely valuable in Rwanda, there has been some chicken theft! So we’ve now employed a night security guard to keep everyone safe and sound.
We firmly support the notion that every child has the right to receive sufficient access to education, and are fully aware that there is still lots more to be done. That’s why, if you so wish, we’ve made it easier than ever to add an extra donation to your tea order. We’ll still be donating money from our everyday brew sales, however, we’ll also be matching all donations made online to make this our biggest fundraising year to date.
We’ve built in a handy slider which means you can choose a donation to suit your budget. You can add as little as 50 cents to your order, to help feed chickens which in turn provides food and income for a family, or go all the way up to $12.50 which provides food for 5 families for a week. Any donation, big or small is HUGELY appreciated and will make an enormous difference. We’ve also got a donation tick box at checkout, for any last minute donations!
Tea is a wonderful thing, and we hope you’re as committed as us in ensuring the lives of the young and vulnerable members of the tea growing communities continue to thrive in a safe and empowering environment.
To encourage as many people as possible to buy everyday brew, you can pick up our signature blend with 20% off for the next week – with a percentage of sales going straight to The Point Foundation. Buy Now.
If you’d like to find out more about our ethical scheme, head over to our ethical page
To donate click here
Find out more about The Point foundation and their amazing work - click here
