We know how proud our clients are with the various charities and community programs that they support and we wanted to share our story of “giving back” as well!
We have been working in India for many years along with our retail sister company Beyond Retro. Beyond Retro manufactures Label; a brand of quality trendy new garments from re-purposed used clothing made ethically in India.
After building a factory in Adipur, we learned about a local orphanage and its 35 bright young residents in need of support. We were driven to start fundraising to contribute to the well being and basic needs of girls living at Karuna Orphanage. Check out more information about past fundraisers and visits.
About the orphanage
The Karuna Vihar Kanya Sadan Girls Orphanage is located in Adipur Gujarat, India, and is home to 35 girls ranging in age from 5-20 years old.
The Girls come to Karuna for basic needs and care as well as a formal education.
The Girls that live at Karuna are admitted to regular schools and based on their individual interests are placed in specialized courses in science, arts, or commerce.
With our fundraising efforts we are dedicated to offsetting the costs of housing and educating 15 girls at Karuna.
We are committed to sponsoring the Karuna Orphanage by ensuring
food, water and hydro bills are paid on time and in full.
We are hoping that sharing their story will inspire and motivate our clients.
Thank you for continuing to make a difference in local and global communities.
Update 2015
A few weeks ago Steven traveled to India and stopped in to visit the orphanage with gift bags for each girl put together by the Beyond Retro team. Before the giftbags could be handed out, Buela, the administrator in India, who has been teaching the girls English every Saturday for the past few months, had the girls do a presentation.
This presentation took Steven and the team by complete surprise. Each girl stood up, said her name and grade in English then proceeded to explain why girls matter.
Steven did not know before hand that Buela isn’t just teaching these girls English-she is teaching them so much more.
This story has inspired all of us to try to go the extra mile on projects. Buela is such an inspiration to these girls and to all of us at Bank & Vogue and Beyond Retro.
Meet Buela:
I am Buela. I teach at the orphanage along with being full time Office Manager at Beyond Retro. I was married at 18 years old, had my first child at 19 and not long after my second child was born I sadly became a widow. My journey started as a daughter, then a beautiful wife and now a proud and caring single parent of two.
Why did you become a teacher?
If I am able to teach even one life lesson, of self-respect, about loving others and inner growth, then I have done my job. A teachers job is to give children the knowledge and confidence they need in each step of their lives. To educate one person, means to educate a nation.
Today it is important to speak English so that women gain an understanding of the world and so they can face any challenges in life and be equal to men in society.
What do you do to instill confidence and self-esteem in the young girls?
I encourage the girls to solve their problems themselves. It’s important to allow the girls to have an open forum to discuss their ideas, issues and the media. Listening and paying attention to what they say along with learning from mistakes and offering unconditional love is paramount to what we do. I celebrate the girls, resist comparison and provide encouragement.
Do you think there is equal need for education among young boys in the importance of feminism?
Definitely! Teaching feminism to young boys is crucial in order to help them understand how to respect women and understand their role in the world, whether it be a mother, daughter, sister or wife.
Can fashion and feminism co-exist harmoniously?
Fashion has introduced new ways of expressing womanhood and has given women social and economical opportunities. It has empowered women.
There are strong voices of evolving feminism in India given recent events. Why is the empowerment of young women so important in 2015?
We have the power to make sure all the women have their freedom. I am trying to contribute to society with the girls in orphanage as it is our responsibility to use the technology available to create empowerment and equality.
What does feminism mean to you?
Feminism means that I can choose to make my way in the world. I can be both work-at-home and be a strong woman with ideas of her own. We don’t have to choose one or the other; we just have to decide what’s empowering to us as individual women.
