When we stand there in the store and choose between soft or medium, between purple and green, with or without a “whitening feature”, a completely ordinary and basic toothbrush for the vast majority of people in southern Africa is something the family cannot afford. And so, it is with many of the most basic hygiene products. The need is there but not the money to fulfill it. Thus, one cannot prevent the negative consequences that come with insufficient access to these necessities. We don’t think about them much because we can buy them whenever we want, in whatever form we want.
We call this year’s initiative for a better tomorrow Sparks & Spender and it is a completely new way to raise money for and inform about an all too familiar and sad fact, that children and young people in southern Africa still face several different challenges. It can be anything from the opportunity for education and basic hygiene items to basic knowledge and daring to believe in and have dreams for the future. With Sparks & Spender, we want to create an awareness of these needs and at the same time, in our to say the least different “store”, collect as much money as we can to distribute these necessities where they will do the most good. All funds raised will go directly to the non-profit organization Star for Life and their work with children and young people in southern Africa. They have been on the ground in southern Africa for over 17 years and they know exactly which and where the needs are.
