Merry Christmas, friends! 2015 has been quite a year. We are excited to share all that’s been transpiring behind-the-scenes here at YOUME Clothing!
We’ve been so focused on our projects and my transition to full-time {more on that below}, that we’ve fallen a bit behind in keeping you all updated. So keep reading below for updates from our partners, our plan to create local jobs in 2016, shop updates + more!
GIVING
Our biggest change this year was that I {Lauren} quit my day job to pursue YOUME Clothing full-time! Recently, it became incredibly clear that in order to sustain the growth we’ve been experiencing and continue increasing our positive impact, I would need to be ALL IN with YOUME. Though it has been scary and faith-testing, we’re confident this is the right decision and are beyond excited for what it means for YOUME and our family! Since our creation, everyone at YOUME has been a volunteer, and even though we’re a 501c3 nonprofit we rarely ask for donations. We’ve chosen to operate more like a hybrid between a socially-minded business and nonprofit – being almost completely sustained through product sales. We feel so fortunate that our unique model has allowed us to clothe hundreds of kids in four countries, as well as provide clean water and educational projects in each of our partner communities! It’s a true testament to the passion and support of those who’ve purchased a shirt, joined a sew group or volunteered at an event. Our volunteers have kept the spirit and mission of YOUME alive & growing. But again, with that growth comes the realistic need for someone to manage it all. In order to make the greatest impact we can make in 2016, we need to harness and maximize this momentum with “seed capital” funds. This would allow us to:
- Pay Lauren a small monthly stipend
- Create San Diego jobs by hiring/training local Refugees as sewers
- Fund additional clothing exchanges and community-led development projects
- Expand our product line and product distribution
- Fund marketing campaign to grow awareness for YOUME, our mission and the partner communities we serve
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Please consider partnering with us by making an end-of year gift. You can donate online at www.youmeclothing.org/donate or mail a check to YOUME FOUNDATION at 4120 Kansas St #5 San Diego, CA 92104. All donations are tax-deductible.
PARTNER PROJECTS
UGANDA (2014-15)
2014-2015: After our best Holiday season yet, we immediately hit the ground running with our projects. We’re very pleased that one of those projects is with our oldest partner community – and the place where it all began – Kito, Uganda.
Kito is where the YOUME concept – the idea to transform rags into resources, old things into new – was born, and it’s only fitting that it’s the location of our first endeavor of 2014. What Kito lacks in resources, it makes up for in the strength and beauty of its people who have courageously taken the reigns in developing their own community! Over the years, they’ve made great strides in improving the education, health and opportunities of its young and elderly population.
We were incredibly excited to partner with Enduring Communities, a nonprofit which helps run the day-to-day ground work in Kito, to fund the March operating costs of the village school.
The funds from YOUME provided:
- breakfast for 300 kids each morning (total of 6,300 breakfast meals for the month)
- lunch for 175 kids each day (total of 3,675 lunches for the month)
- salaries and compensation for their 11 teachers
- one cook and one administrator for the month
- books and school supplies for 60 kids
We know true development and empowerment do not come fast or easy. They take time and work and wisdom, and require strong, collaborative partnerships between those in need and those able to help. And the development being done with our partners gives us great hope, and inspires us to continue pursuing and growing the great work of equipping and empowering communities.
MOZAMBIQUE (2014-15)
Another incredible exchange happened last year, with our partners in Vilankulo, Mozambique. Our friends at Cross Connection Outreach have a beautiful ministry recording the New Testament in the native language of hundreds of rural tribes, onto solar-powered MP3 players. Many of these communities are illiterate, as well as lacking access to clean water or basic health care – so CCO provides the bibles as well as water repairs, rural health clinics, school uniform distributions, discipleship training & so much more. They consist of mostly native Mozambican staff with an incredible heart to see lives transformed in their own communities, they exemplify everything we look for in our on the ground partners.
In September, we flew to Vilankulo and partnered with them to clothe 100 local children living in extreme poverty. Each child received a brand new outfit in exchange for their oldest rags (we purchased new clothing at the local stores/markets to support the local economy). Our favorite moment was watching them each go behind the building to change into their new clothes. They would walk back so reserved, but then come out giggling in excitement to the cheers of their friends waiting for them! Their mothers were so proud they had something to give, even something as small as the few pieces of clothing to bring in exchange. The chief’s son also attended the exchange to show his support, and said something so simple but powerful to the kids, “This is not because you are poor. We are here today, working together to help each other.” We love that. It’s not a hand-out, it’s an investment on both sides for the betterment of the community. We have been sewing + selling shirts since this exchange to go towards a community water project in Mozambique. One of CCO’s projects has been identifying broken wells other NGO’s have built and been abandoned due to lack of follow-up or training. They hire staff to repair the wells and to train a group of community members in maintenance and repair. This insures the community is invested and the well provides clean water for years to come. The funds from YOUME provided:
Our original goal was to cover one well repair process: cost of materials, staff and training. Because of your generous support this year, we we were able to fund not just one well repair, but two!!Both Chigamane village and Belane school were impacted because you purchased a shirt or volunteered this year. That’s over 1,000 people that now have clean water! We can’t thank you enough!
MALAWI (2015-16)
Our good friends Cindy & Tim have been faithful volunteers with YOUME for years! They started one of the first San Diego sew groups, opening up their home every week for people to come sew, cut patches and form friendships around a common cause. They have been passionately working and forming relationships in Malawi for close to 10 years, so we were really excited when an opportunity came up to do a school uniform exchange there! Cindy & Tim flew back in July to partner with RiseMalawi, a ministry comprised of an after school program, a meal program, HIV/Aids awareness initiatives, and a girls’ empowerment program. We prefer to support the local economy vs. bring over pre-bought clothing, so we paid a local tailor in Madisi to sew 80 brand new uniforms! They were high quality fabric & turned out so beautiful (see pictures below). On the last day of camp they did the exchange, and Cindy said going through the process was more emotional than she expected. Talking to the kids about how they have something worth contributing, that this process can be a metaphor for how God loves us, how He desires to take the old things of our life and make them new. After the exchange, they went outside to take a group picture and one of the local staff members, Za, said so many of the kids couldn’t believe they had a uniform! One boy had never had one before and now he could go to school feeling proud and excited. Another girl said clothes are fairly easy to come by, but uniforms are much more expensive and harder to get, she told them, “You did a good thing here today.”
Huge thanks to Cindy & Tim, their SD sew group & the whole RiseMalawi team for making it possible! We are thrilled to start sewing the Malawi patches onto YOUME Clothing in 2016. The proceeds will go towards their girls’ empowerment program & supporting the local meal program. Stay tuned for more Malawi updates in 2016!
EVENTS
BETTER TOGETHER Event: Our first official San Diego fundraiser was so much fun, and a great success! This event would not have happened without our rockstar team of volunteers – from setting up, to gathering silent auction donations, sewing shirts live, selling at the booth, playing live music & so much more! Every person that came out to support through buying a ticket, bidding at the auction or buying a shirt that night helped us raise over $4,500! This allowed us to do the exchange in Malawi sooner than expected, fund an extra well repair in Mozambique, and start to plan for next year’s exchanges & projects!
We also premiered our new “Who We Are” video at the event, have you seen it? Check it out:
Other great events we were a part of in 2015:
- World Refugee Day
- Quartyard Market
- Pechakucha Night
- ONEHOPE: Wine for Water
- Common Good Holiday Party
- The Christmas Collective
- NCCC Christmas Missions Market
- The Knox Holiday Boutique
SHOP
We’ve added some great new styles and colors to our online store, and more coming in 2016! We also partnered with two new retail stores in 2015. If you’re in their area, be sure to go by and say hi:
- The Aware House {located in San Diego, CA}
- Be the Change Boutique {located in Mt. Pleasant, SC}
If you made it this far, you’re a champ!! And we love you. Feel free to share this update with family and friends. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!