Time for an announcement – today I am launching something I feel really excited about. I was raised by two parents who really embodied the idea of social consciousness. When I was growing up, both of them made amazing sacrifices for causes they believed in, and to benefit people far beyond their private circle. I’m nowhere near as good at it as they are, but giving back is something that means a lot to me. And one of the causes that I have championed for some time, is that of AIDS orphans in South Africa. Readers at home will know exactly how overwhelming the HIV/AIDS epidemic is in southern Africa, and I feel passionately that the next generation needs help and opportunity in order to overcome the obstacles they face and continue to build a future for themselves and for our country. And here’s the thing – 50,000 of you read this blog every month. That’s a lot of people. If every one of you donated just £1, that would be a phenomenal amount of money. With the festive season approaching, I felt that it was time I used my powers of social media for good, and asked all of you to help me.
But I didn’t stop there. SouthBound Bride has readers around the world, particularly in the UK, US and Australia & New Zealand. And I am lucky enough to be able to call bloggers in these countries my friends. So I approached three of them – Kate of Magnolia Rouge, Louise of b.loved and Naomi of At First Blush & Co. Each of these ladies is talented and lovely, but they also all believe in giving something back. Together, we hatched a plan.
Today, we’re launching our Turn the Tide Christmas Appeal. We’re asking our readers to join us in donating to Starfish Greathearts Foundation, where every pound, rand or dollar you’re able to spare really will make a difference to children around South Africa through their grassroots community projects. The exchange rate is awesome right now, so for those of us based outside SA, donations will go that much further. For example, £3.50 would buy two hot meals a day for a month, £8 a pair of school shoes, and £50 a whole school package including uniform. Getting kids fed and educated is a huge investment, but it costs us very little.
Of course, being bloggers, we wanted to make it a little more interesting, so to celebrate the appeal, we’re going to be giving away four couple shoots, one in each of our home countries. We have some awesome photographers lined up (details to follow soon!), and the shoots will be styled by us, so we’ll work closely with you to make sure that the pictures are something really special for you and your partner. They’re great if you’re engaged, celebrating an anniversary, or even just if you would like something to honour your relationship.
So! Here’s how it works…
- We’ve set up a JustGiving page (which means donations go straight to the charity) and we’d ask you to head over there and make your donation. We have no specific amount, but we of course ask that you give generously! I’ve kicked off donations with 10% of income from the Days of December promotion.
- When you’re done, if you would like to enter the couple shoot giveaway, go to our dedicated Facebook page and leave us a comment on the wall, saying which country you are in and telling us your love story. (Please note: the US shoot will probably be in California, so do bear that in mind.)
- At the end of the month when we close the appeal, we’ll announce three finalists for each location and you’ll be able to vote for a winner on our Facebook page. And of course, you’ll get to see the results of the shoots on our blogs.
Do let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, a huge thank you to Kate, Louise and Naomi, and of course to all of you for donating! Let’s DO THIS!
