The phrase "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" really, truly hits home today. If you've been reading here for a while, you'll know that I move every few years, and that this time last year, I was living in Las Vegas. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Route 91/Mandalay Bay shooting. My Facebook feed is filled with messages and memories of what life was like on this day a year ago.
Those messages are reminders that humans need to stick together. Those messages are motivational quotes, recalling just how important it is to help one another when we are in need.
It is because of this (and a rather upsetting email that I received the other day), that I write today to ask all of you for help. I'm sure that you recall that just a few weeks ago, Hurricane Florence pummeled North Carolina. One of my blog partners, Swahili Coast Design, has a headquarters there, and sadly that headquarters was seriously impacted by the storm.
Swahili Coast is mostly a wholesale brand/cooperative that has independent partners/owners in Tanzania, but you may recognize some of their designs from Anthropologie. They use their Wilmington, NC headquarters as a center for design, but also as a shop and "test kitchen" to see what will and what will not work for them. Since their artisans are working in third-world countries and are earning a fair living wage through their craft for Swahili Coast, their designs need to be as amazing as possible, and this "test kitchen" is the way that they get to be that way.
Unrfotunately, Hurricane Florence blew out the bay window at the front of their store, the ceiling collapsed, and the shop flooded. This means that they cannot occupy this retail space until repairs are made, and those repairs are going to be costly. Also, because they've lost this retail space, they've lost quite a bit of revenue that they need to continue helping to support their artisans in Eastern Africa.
This is where y'all come in! I teamed up with Swahili Coast last February and the beautiful hand-beaded Maasai earrings that they sent me have become a staple in my wardrobe. I love that they are conversation pieces, but what I appreciate even more is knowing that talking about these earrings helps improve the lives of strangers on the other side of the world.
If you, too, would like to help out, please hop over to the Swahili Coast website and make a purchase. They have set up coupon code FLORECOVERY to save you 20% on your purchase. If you'd like to help even more, please consider donating to their Go Fund Me fundraiser. If you do, you will receive a coupon code for 30% off (which you can apply to another purchase that will help them get back on their feet)! For more info, please take a look at their video.
I hope that y'all can lend a hand (or a few bucks)!
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