Rhimani

Rhimani supports education and conservation. 'Each month, a different charity'. Find out below our monthly chosen charity, alongside the charities we have supported in the past.

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December ‘20 & January ‘21 - Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN)

I first started Rhimani when I was in my last year at Newcastle University. I made the jewellery in my bedroom and used the app ‘Depop’ to sell it. I never, ever, ever thought I would still be doing it a couple of years later full time in London, with a studio and an employee. I still think this is ab-so-lute-ly crazy!

Whilst at Newcastle I met my lovely friend Catherine Whitley who introduced me to her family foundation - ‘The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN)’. WFN is a non-profit organisation focused on providing funding, recognition and training to grassroots conservation leaders in the global south. WFN supports local conservationists who lead projects with passion, harnessing the best available science on which to act.

The emphasis here is on ‘grassroots’. The organisation particularly recognises and works with people on a local, grassroots level to achieve long-term conservation actions. Their work is centred around this notion that effective conservation starts from within local communities, making it more collaborative, sustainable and ultimately, successful.

The organisation has 4 main objectives and aims. These are:

‘- Find, recognise and fund proven grassroots conservation leaders in resource-poor, biodiversity-rich countries.

- Champion and repeat fund the most effective winners.

- Support the replication and growth of effective conservation solutions.

- Raise awareness of the work of winners and spread the message that we can all make a difference to the conservation of wildlife and wild places.’

On December 2nd WFN are hosting their event ‘The Whitley Awards 2020’. This award ceremony is an annual event which celebrates and applauds the extraordinary work of the chosen Whitley Award winners. Judged by an expert panel, the winners are awarded project funding from WFN, as well as professional media training and a significant boost in profile to inspire further support. Tailor-made films narrated by WFN Trustee, Sir David Attenborough, are premiered on the night and distributed far and wide to raise awareness and champion their success. 

This year of course, the event is happening virtually. I’ve nabbed myself a ticket and can’t wait to see what the event brings! You can also register for the event for free using this link: https://whitley-awards-2020-a-celebration.eventbrite.co.uk.

For any more info on WFN their website, www.whitleyaward.org, has loads more details.

This is also the last blog of 2020 for Rhimani. Thank you for an utterly incredible year. We have supported 12 wonderful conservation charities. I hope you have a lovely Christmas! I can’t wait to see what Rhimani brings in 2021.

Love,

Izzy xx

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NOVEMBER 2020 - The Theatre Support Fund

This November the UK goes into a second lockdown. With this happening I want to move away from supporting a wildlife conservation charity this month. Instead I'm choosing a UK charity that focuses on this pandemic.

This November 2020 Rhimani’s chosen charity is 'The Theatre Support Fund'. The non-profit organisation supports people in the theatre industry who have lost their jobs this year.

On March 20th 2020 the government officially closed down theatres. As a result thousands of people in the theatre industry were faced with redundancy. 

The list of people affected by this government decision is huge. As The Theatre Support fund mentions it affected, 'Actors, Directors, Designers, Stage Managers, Lighting, Sound and Video Teams, Wardrobe and Wigs Teams, Stage Crews, Production Managers Props and Costume Supervisors, Front of House Staff, Box Office Staff, Stage Door Keepers… The list goes on and on.'

The lead up to Christmas is the most popular time for people to head to West End. I ab-so-lute-ly love heading to the theatre around this time of the year. Anyone who knows me can vouch just how much I adore musical theatre!

Established in March by two West End workers, The Theatre Support Fund raises money for three important charities. These three charities are: ‘Fleabag Support Fund’, ‘Acting for Others’ and the ‘NHS Covid-19 Urgent Appeal’.

Set up by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 'The Fleabag Support Fund' through charitable partnerships provides grants to freelancers working in the theatre industry who are in urgent financial need. 

'Acting for Others' provides financial and emotional support to all theatre workers who have fallen on hard times. Since the beginning of the pandemic Acting for Others have raised £3.3 million.... £3.3 million pounds!

Organised by 'NHS Charities Together', the 'NHS Covid-19 Urgent Appeal' supports NHS staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients. So far the appeal has reached a massive £130,000,00.

The Theatre Support Fund created awesome merchandise to raise money for these three charities using the infamous slogan ‘The Show Must Go On’. Each letter on the design is from a famous West End theatre production. To nab any of this merchandise, or find out anymore info on The Theatre Support Fund, they have loads more details on their website, www.theatresupportfund.co.uk.

As we go into a second lockdown, I really hope you're happy and safe self-isolating. Sending love to you, your family and friends.

Love, Izzy xx

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OCTOBER 2020 - EWASO LIONS

Last year Rhimani hosted a pop-up stall at the annual Tusk conservation lecture. The event was hosted at the Royal Geographical Society in London and focused on the ‘Year of the Lion’. Two women from the ‘Pride Conservation Alliance’, Dr Alayne Cotterill of Lion Landscapes and Dr Amy Dickman of the Ruaha Carnivore Project spoke about their work at the forefront of lion conservation.

Here I learnt that the lion population is under serious threat. As mentioned on the Ewaso website, ‘the African lion population has disappeared from 92% of their historical range.’ … 92%! Based in Northern Kenya, Ewaso Lions is a not-for-profit, independent organisation that works to secure the future of lions.

The rapid decline of lions has occurred mainly due to habitat loss, climate change and ‘the human-carnivore conflict’.

The human-carnivore conflict is the on-going fight between local farmers and lions. Lions can invite themselves onto peoples land and prey on people’s livestock. When this does occur, a typical reaction from the farmers is to poison or shoot the lions to ensure it does not happen again.

The organisation has a variety of ongoing projects that help support lion conservation. One of these, and a key project for Ewaso Lions, is improving the human-carnivore conflict and developing actions to stop the conflict taking place. After conducting a study with Imperial College London, Ewaso Lions developed key strategies to help stop livestock being killed by lions. They mention,

‘To reduce livestock loss to carnivores, the study recommended improving livestock farming by avoiding densely vegetated areas, using dogs to accompany grazing herds and not leaving livestock to graze unattended.’

Rhimani’s October monthly donation to Ewaso Lions will support their incredible efforts in saving the lion population in Northern Kenya. Approximately there are 30,000 lions roaming in Africa… one hundred years ago there were roughly 200,000 lions roaming.

Typically lions are not seen as under threat. I certainly hadn’t realised how seriously endangered lions are before I learnt about it at the Tusk conservation lecture. However, as evidence suggests, these majestic mammals need to be put in the same bracket as elephants, rhinos and pangolins. They need be considered by us all as species on the brink of extinction.

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September 2020 - WILD IS LIFE, Zimbabwe

This September Rhimani has hired our brand new team of university reps! We have 25 students on board from a wide range of different UK universities joining the Rhimani family. I am so happy to be extending our team and exposing Rhimani to loads of students.

I asked in their applications to pick a charity they would support and why. One of the applications stood out for me because they introduced me to an elephant sanctuary in Zimbabwe called ‘WILD IS LIFE’. From initially rehabilitating a few animals in 1998 in their back yard with creatures such as a duiker and a mongoose - they have now grown into a brilliant, successful sanctuary with a strong team of conservationists.

The organisation is split into two programmes - The Wild is Life Trust and The Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN). Established by Roxy Danckwerts, ZEN is a re-wilding facility in Victoria Falls and The Wild is Life Trust is an animal nursery in Harare.

With ZEN, the organisation are currently home to 13 orphaned elephants where they rehabilitate and re-wild young elephants. Through specific infrastructure and a strong team of conservationists, veterinarians they focus on the long term sustainability of abandoned Zimbabwe elephants.

When focusing on the re-wilding of these elephants, the organisation controls it in an effective way. As mentioned on their website,

‘In 2015 the ZEN Project partnered with the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe to establish our re-wilding facility in Panda Masui Forest Area. This area was identified because of its’ strategic positioning in the KAZA region and ZEN has since established a 25-year lease with Forestry Commission to ensure that the area is fully protected. This allows our elephants to have a safe transition back into the wild whilst also enabling us to realize our goals of having a larger impact in the conservation space.’

Alongside the ZEN project, the organisation also have the ‘The Wild is Life Trust’ which is an animal sanctuary situated in Harere. Here they have rehabilitated over 300+ animals, including animals from 18 different species. At the moment this includes a variety of animals such as, ‘elephant, lion, cheetah, ground pangolin, kudu, giraffe, wildebeest, sable, impala, duiker, tortoise and monkeys’. A majority of the animals have been rescued by the team of experts or they are born within the sanctuary.

Let’s have a bright and beautiful September to support this awesome organisation!

Stay Safe - Love, Izzy xx

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AUGUST 2020 - THE FOOD DRIVE AT GOVERNOR’S CAMP

In March, I was due to fly to Nairobi and visit our head supplier Anne. It is now July and I can happily say (5 months later!) that Kenya has lifted lockdown and are allowing travel into Nairobi. Finally, after 5 months of waiting in the wings, I can organise seeing Anne again. Throughout lockdown, we’ve been in touch with each other regularly and I am so excited about our new collections.

During this time at home, whilst itching to get back out to Nairobi, I chatted to a few friends who similarly couldn't travel to Kenya for work. Will Fortescue is a wildlife photographer who is based at the safari camp Governor’s Camp in the Mara. He spends a majority of his year in the Mara snapping up the outstanding wildlife. Will told me recently an initiative Governor’s Camp launched that supports the vulnerable local community surrounding the safari camp.

Since Will told me about this awesome programme, I got in touch with Alisa at Governors’ to find out more. Alisa mentioned to me,

‘Essentially what we are doing is facilitating a food drive to provide basic food and hygiene supplies to our most vulnerable community neighbours since all revenue streams linked to tourism have totally dried up for over four months now.’

The community surrounding Governor's Camp, in order to earn money with no other form of income, can be tempted to turn to illegal activities including, poaching and felling trees for timber or charcoal production. Something they might do in order to sustain and provide for their families. Alisa mentioned how much they have seen a clear rise in these activities since COVID-19.

By supporting the community and offering food to the local people, they alleviate the pressure on the natural resources. Consequently the endangered wildlife and  natural resources are protected.

This August 2020, Rhimani is supporting Governor’s Camp and this community driven project protecting the local people and wildlife in the Mara. With each charity Rhimani supports, I end up being particularly attracted to supporting small projects or a scheme that supports a local community/business. I love supporting the larger organisations who aim to make a big difference. However, by supporting a small initiative or organisation, I feel I am making a real change on a different scale.

For any more info on Governor’s Camp, there’s lots more info on the website:

https://www.governorscamp.com/

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JULY 2020 - OL PEJETA

Based in East Africa, Ol Pejeta is a conservancy that homes the last two remaining northern white rhinos and is the largest sanctuary in the region. I first came across Ol Pejeta as I follow them on Instagram. Every day they host a little something called ‘Sofa Safaris’. This is where Ellie, Jimmy and Sammy your virtual safari guides, use Instagram (and sometimes Facebook) live to take you through the conservancy and see the wildlife in the park. Just from sitting on your sofa anywhere in the world with your phone, you have a real safari experience. 

Wildlife conservation is at the very core of the conservancy. They partner with ‘international wildlife, security and research specialists’ to protect the diverse species at the conservancy, such as great apes and rhinos. These strong partnerships have led to new data findings, cutting-edge technology and research that helps preserve the endangered animals.

Ol Pejeta’s approach to conservation is particularly innovative. Ol Pejeta were the first to properly integrate cattle and wildlife. This resulted in incredibly important revenue for conservation. Alongside this, the conservancy uses technology such as camera traps and digital radio systems to help in the preservation of the fauna and flora at Ol Pejeta.

Rhino conservation is incredibly important at Ol Pejeta as they are home to the very last two remaining Northern white rhinos on the planet. They also provide a sanctuary for over 130 critically endangered black rhinos. Ol Pejeta use ‘highly trained rhino protection squads’ with ‘international veterinary experts’ so that data is continuously gathered on each individual animal. It’s an incredibly big fight we have ahead for the Northern white rhinos and this fight begins at Ol Pejeta.

Thank you Ol Pejeta for hosting ‘sofa safaris’ via Instagram. It’s been a brilliant little initiative that has lifted spirits during isolation! If you don’t follow Ol Pejeta on Instagram, make sure give them a follow and don’t miss out on this awesome virtual safari.

Love Izzy x

The images are sourced from Ol Pejeta:   

© 

https://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/

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June 2020 - School Club Zambia X OHNE

It’s not often a kick-ass, revolutionary brand that you’ve admired for so long drops you a DM to collaborate, but when they do, I was ab-so-lute-ly going to take it up. For June 2020, we’ve teamed up with OHNE! OHNE is a glorious tampon brand that sells 100% organic cotton tampons. OHNE was set up by uni mates Leah and Nikki with a goal to revolutionise the period game.

Prior to launching OHNE, Nikki, one of the co-founder’s, used to live in Zambia and worked for an organisation called ‘School Club Zambia’. Now OHNE, in a fight to end period poverty, donate a portion of each product bought towards SCZ.

More specifically, OHNE actually run their own initiative at SCZ called ‘The Girl’s Programme’. It is a programme designed, through the running of workshops, to provide education and information on menstrual health for the young girls at SCZ.

The Girl’s Programme takes a ‘three-tiered’ approach: ‘building brand new, clean toilet blocks in every school they work with; educating the students about menstruation; and equipping the girls with the skills they need to make their own reusable, sustainable sanitary pads from local resources.’ - OHNE

The workshop which teaches you how to create your own re-usable sanitary pads is called ‘Young Tailors’. I’m in, that sounds bloody useful.

The workshops are run by two female facilitators; Alice Simakala who is the Gender and Youth Officer, and Mrs Chidamba, who is the lead tailor at Kariba South Primary School Tailoring Centre. Alice facilitates the Girl Sanitation Workshops and Mrs Chidamba teaches the girls how to make the reusable, eco-friendly sanitary pads. These women provide a safe haven for the girls. They are there to be asked ANYTHING about menstrual health, and provide a comfortable place to do so.

This June if you make a purchase from Rhimani, your order will support School Club Zambia, and in particular, it will support the running of the ‘The Girl’s Programme’.

Last December OHNE conducted a workshop with the girls at School Club Zambia and they asked the girls a few questions about periods. ‘Of the girls involved in the workshop, 50% said they were embarrassed, angry or sad when they had to talk about puberty and menstruation. 20% of the girls said that they miss school regularly when they menstruate, and almost 50% of the girls could not correctly name one part of the female reproductive system.’ - OHNE

You can find loads more info on ‘The Girl’s Programme’ here, and find more details on it works with OHNE:

https://ohne.com/blog/ohne-girls-zambia/ https://ohne.com/blog/heres-to-change-in-zambia/

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May 2020 - CHAT (Communities Health Africa Trust)

I first started Rhimani when I was in my last year at Newcastle university. My only form of advertising was word of mouth and sharing it on student Facebook pages. One of the first ever people to make a purchase from me was someone called Bronny, who was also a student at Newcastle. Bronny follows Rhimani on Instagram and got in touch with me recently to ask if I had heard of a wonderful, worthwhile charity called CHAT, and whether Rhimani might consider supporting them. Bronny has supported and followed Rhimani since day one. I can’t tell you how much I cherish the people who have backed Rhimani from the beginning. Thank you to the day ones, the first followers and the early supporters!

After talking to Bronny, I went immediately online and checked out CHAT (Communities Health Africa Trust). CHAT is a community based organisation where they focus on educating excluded communities in Kenya on family planning to reduce ‘suffering, poverty and environmental degradation.’

The population in Kenya is rapidly increasing and that is having huge effects on conservation and the people. CHAT aim with their holistic family planning to ‘integrate a strong component of ecological awareness and sensitization'.  They provide door-to-door mobile services for rural Kenyans where they; provide HIV/AIDS counselling, strengthen Female Genital Mutilation interventions, identify and refer tuberculosis new contact smears and provide childhood immunisations (Polio, Measles, Pneumococcus, BCG - for tuberculosis, DPT - Pentavalent: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus), to name few.

A key aspect of CHAT is that they are a community-based organisation. Independent organisations like this can have such a powerful effect, arguably more so than the large NGOs. They understand the individual needs of the specific community because of their local knowledge.

Your Rhimani purchase this month has supported CHAT’s door-to-door services. For most people in rural Kenya, you have to travel vast distances to access family planning. CHAT use whatever means it takes to reach those in need, i.e. Back-Pack door to door approach, motor vehicles, and even camels! They currently operate in 5 ecosystems; North Kenya Rangelands Ecosystem, Tana River Ecosystem, North Rift Ecosystem, Lake Victoria Basin Ecosystem, The Mara Ecosystem.

Thank you for Bronny for introducing me to CHAT. Due to covid-19, Bronny mentioned how CHAT have struggled with fundraising and sponsorship. I’m incredibly pleased Rhimani is supporting the charity this month, and that we can offer a worthwhile donation during these mad times. I noticed a quote on the bottom of the CHAT website which I think ends this Rhimani blog perfectly;

“When the family is small, whatever little they have they are able to share. There is peace.”      

- Pastor Philip Njuguna, Nairobi, Kenya

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APRIL 2020 - Restart Africa

In March I received a message on Instagram from someone called Annie asking if I had ever come across the charity ‘Restart Africa’. After talking to her and some messages going to and fro, I learnt all about Restart Africa. Restart, established in 2008 by Mary Coulson MBE, rescues poverty stricken children in Gilgil, Kenya. 

After our chat on Instagram, I then went digging online to learn more about them. In no time, I realised how worthwhile and established the organisation is. Thank you Annie introducing me to Restart Africa and telling me how they provide a safe haven for abandoned children in Gilgil. Many come into Restart having previously experienced horrific violent and sexual abuse. I wanted Rhimani to support them.

The organisation has three fundamental objectives. They aim ‘to rescue desperate and homeless children from the streets of Kenya, where drugs, violence and prostitution are rife’, ’to provide these children with a home, education, care and counselling’ and to ‘uplift and empower the community by providing work opportunities.’

Currently Restart Africa look after over 100 children of all ages in an orphanage centre in Gilgil, just north of Naivasha in Kenya. In 2014, they opened the new centre, something that is purely funded by donations. The centre is equipped with a dining hall, separate girls and boys dorms, a nursery, two classrooms, a music room, a computer room, a library, a playground, a counselling room, a large vegetable garden, staff accommodation and bathroom facilities. The centre is in brilliant condition, it is spacious for both the kids and staff, and is a safe environment.

One motif really sticks out for me about Restart; education is not free in Kenya and Restart pays the school fees for every child. This ends up being a huge expense for them and is always a challenge they take on. The charity is continuing to grow, and they rely on donations to pay for children’s school fees. Furthermore, many of the children are now successfully reaching higher education which Restart is committed to supporting the children through. The motto, painted on the dining room wall, 'Think not what you are, but what you can become' runs deep at Restart.

I hope I’ve some shed light on what an effective and valuable charity Restart Africa is. Our donation this month will support the running of the centre in Gilgil and their continued efforts in educating desperate, homeless children. As they continue to grow, so does the cost of maintaining the high standard of care. I hope down the line we support Restart again and we find them as our monthly ‘Chosen Charity’ once more.

Love Izzy xx

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MARCH 2020 - ORIGIN

In 2019, I went to Exeter University to do a Rhimani pop-up at the uni fashion show. Amongst the exciting clothing stalls there trading, one stood out called ‘Origin’. Origin had a range of patterned, vivid tees on show. As soon as I could, I went to the stand and spoke to Eloise, who was working for Origin that day. Eloise introduced me to Origin and told me all about what they do.

Origin is a 100% not-for-profit organisation and fashion brand. Through the sales of ethical fashion, including tees/jumpers, they raise funds for humanitarian development projects. They mention, “100% of our profits fund community driven, needs based projects. These projects are to invest in and establish social businesses with a targeted social purpose - child health through sanitation, female empowerment through skills training and education, supply of affordable non-communicable disease medications and education around this under-diagnosed ticking time bomb of Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Through the sales of their ethical clothing, Origin are currently leading and focusing on three projects in three separate countries: Gambia, Ethiopia and Mali. In Ethiopia, they are working on a project located in the Simien mountains. They have introduced a locally run sanitation business. The business focuses on supplying culturally appropriate latrines to the remote places and villages in the mountains.

In Gambia, they have teamed up with an local entrepreneur, called Moussa, who creates eco-friendly stoves. “The stove is made using sustainable materials and it requires less wood to light therefore saving money, time and energy for those who buy it.” With your support, Origin are improving Moussa’s business and working place. With the growth of Moussa’ business means more people will use ethical, sustainable stoves. Alongside this, it will create more jobs around the local area.

In Mali, Origin are supporting a seamstress school in Bamako. Established in 2019, Alain the owner, originally set up the seamstress school to provide opportunities for those fleeing the war areas in the North. However, it’s grown considerably and now as well as “providing education and training, Alain ensures his students are placed in jobs so they can use their new skills to provide for their families and escape the poverty trap.”

This March 2020, I am extremely happy Rhimani is supporting Origin and specifically donating towards these three worthwhile projects. After the Exeter uni fashion show, in fact the day after, I got in touch with Alice, who owns Origin, to ask whether Rhimani could re-sell her divinely designed tops. The rest is history. Rhimani has now stocked Origin Tees in our store for over a year and it’s one of our most successful collaborations. It makes me extremely happy this March, to support Origin and give back to one of our closest suppliers and  deserved organisation.

Love Izzy x

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February 2020 - The Tsavo Trust

Whilst I was in Nairobi the family I stayed with owned some property in Tsavo, Kenya. Tsavo is a national park in South West Kenya rich with African biodiversity. Due to work, I never had the opportunity to visit the region. However, back in Nairobi, it shocked me how often Tsavo came up in conversation. ‘Did you hear the news from Tsavo? Another 5 elephants were taken today’ or ‘I just heard more poachers got in this morning’.

This February 2020 Rhimani’s chosen charity is ’Tsavo Trust’. Tsavo Trust is a Kenyan non-profit organisation that specifically works to give ‘the wildlife and people of Tsavo the right to a future.’  

The Tsavo Trust was founded with the specific aim at protecting ‘Super Tuskers’. Super Tuskers are elephants who’s ivory tusks weigh roughly a huge 100 lbs. Due to the size of their tusks, these elephants are incredibly unique.The Tsavo Trust believe it is essential it is to protect these individual giants;

“These remarkable creatures represent the plight of all African animals through recent decades. They are beacons of hope. If we can save them, we can save their families. If we can save their families, we can save their environment. If we can save their environment, we save all the other life that exists in this extraordinary ecosystem. The value of the Super Tuskers for future generations of Kenyans can not be underestimated.” (https://tsavotrust.org/about-us/)

In the next few years, The Tsavo Trust are undertaking three main projects. The first is ‘The Wildlife Conservation Program’. This program focuses on creating a more improved and immediate response to threats who enter the protected area. The second is ‘The Community Conservancy Program’. This scheme focuses on educating local communities on Tsavo’s precious ecosystem supporting the wildlife. The final program is the ‘Animal Welfare Programme’. This is the development of a ‘Tsavo Sanctuary’. It will be unit of ‘care, rehabilitation and release of orphaned, injured and sick small mammals’. They specifically will focus on, wherever possible, to release animals back in the wild at the earliest opportunity giving it the best possible chance of survival.

Your Rhimani purchase this February 2020 has directly gone towards The Tsavo Trust and supported these specific schemes. These programmes play such a vital role in the protection of super tuskers in Tsavo. When the Tsavo Trust was first founded, they only recorded 14 super tuskers. Let’s help protect this final gene pool to survive the persistent threat of poaching.

Love Izzy x

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JANUARY 2020 (December continued) THE RURAL FIRE SERVICE, Australia

As the situation in New South Wales, Australia worsens, we have decided to make our January 2020 chosen charity the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales (continuing our December 2019 donation).

Australia is now facing one of the worst bushfires season it has ever faced. The fires have been on going since the summer. The BBC mentions that ‘19 people have died due to the fires and dozens remain still missing’. With people having to evacuate the area, it has been reported that more than ‘four million hectares’ in New South Wales alone has burnt. 

In regards to the wildlife, it has now been estimated that 500 million animals have died in New South Wales. Not only are animals getting caught in the fires but the fires are also destroying their habitats. Once the fires stop, animals will face homelessness and vulnerability.

This January 2020, Rhimani is supporting the NSW (New South Wales) Rural fire service and the professional fire fighters who are battling to put these fires out. The BBC reports that ‘three firefighters’ have now died trying to put these fires out.

All our thoughts are with Australia right now.

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DECEMBER 2019 - THE RURAL FIRE SERVICE in Australia

Moving out of Africa this December 2019, this month Rhimani is supporting the NSW (New South Wales) Rural Fire Service in Australia.

For months now there has been huge bushfires burning at emergency level on the South Coast of Australia in New South Wales. The fire, named the ‘Currowan Blaze’, has now burnt more than 11,500 hectares of land. In fact, the fire has now doubled in size since it started. Today it has been recorded that 119 bushfires are burning across the state.

Undeniably this bushfire is having destructive effects on the area’s wildlife and natural heritage. Just to touch on a few, the koalas, bee hives, frogs and lizards are in critical situations. Even if they escape the fires, they are immediately vulnerable as the fire result in these guys having no food or shelter. Alongside the state of the fragile wildlife, to date six people have died and ‘673 homes’ have been destroyed from these bushfires.

Your Rhimani purchase this December will go towards the Rural Fire Service and helping them put this furnace out. The Rural Fire Service now has over 1,900 firefighters involved attempting to prevent the Currowan Blaze from growing. Day in, day out these firefighters are facing severe conditions. It’s vital these guys receive as much as support as possible! This Christmas let’s help these soldiers in Australia currently battling one of our worst climate emergencies.

Love Izzy xx

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November 2019 - THE TRISTAN VOORSPUY CONSERVATION TRUST

In 2017, I lived in Nairobi for a few months. Whilst I was there, one evening, I received the news that conservationist, naturalist and all time African adventurer Tristan Voorspuy had died. I never had the privilege of meeting Tristan. However, I heard a lot about him. The news about Tristan in Nairobi was monumental. The family I stayed with were lost for words, and the office I worked in were astonished. It was clear to me just how loved and admired Tristan was.

Following Tristan’s death, his family set up ‘The Tristan Voorspuy Conservation Trust’, continuing Tristan's philanthropic legacy. This November 2019, I am extremely pleased that Rhimani will be supporting this charity.

Tristan ran his own horse back safari, crossing the Mara and Laikipia for over 30 years. One of his real concerns was how quickly the Kenyan population was growing and what threat this had on the country’s greatest natural heritage, parks and conservancies. Shortly before he died, Tristan wrote:

‘...in roughly 1900 a census put the population at 2 million in what was to become Kenya . At independence (1963) a survey revealed roughly 7 million. A census in 2010 produced 40+ million and it is safe to say there are now 50 million and will be 100 million in 20 years.... Sadly Laikipia in Kenya is one small example of the greatest challenge mankind has yet faced. What chance for the wildlife and tourism yet alone ourselves in the long run?’ (The Tristan Voorspuy Conservation Trust)

Currently TVCT has partnered up with CHASE (Community Health and Sustainable Environment) in Africa. Together they share the same mission to ‘reduce pressure on the land’. The Trust has been working in Mount Kenya and the Northern mainlands by ‘empowering community members, particularly women, and educating them about family planning’. By doing this, it can exert less pressure on their external environment. TVCT have a health care and family planning mobile clinic in both these areas. The volunteers with TVCT are handing out contraceptives, such as condoms here. TVCT also has trained nurses who are personally inserting the implant. Alongside this they are giving referrals for longer-term alternatives. By doing this, they are tackling the population growth and in turn protecting African wildlife.

Your Rhimani purchase this November will go towards TVCT and their hugely worthwhile projects they have running at the moment focusing on sustainable environment, such as the Ndoto project. They are working with two operators in that area, CHAT and The Milgis Trust. https://vimeo.com/294284294 - this video shows you this project.

It’s essential that Kenya’s population is controlled in order for the African wildlife to survive. The moment I learnt TVCT had been set up, I immediately wanted it to be our monthly chosen charity. Let’s make it a cracking month!

Love Izzy x

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OCTOBER 2019 - HART

Since launching Rhimani’s website, I always get asked ‘Why animals?’. Honestly, I don’t have a straightforward answer to this. Understanding animals and their welfare is something I am really passionate about, always have been. It’s easy for me to say this and for you to go, ‘I love my pet dog just as much as you Izzy’, but feeling compassion towards animals is second nature to me. Whether that’s just my pet dog or going on safari and learning about the plight of cheetahs. It’s a subject that will always resonate with me.

However, this does not mean that I do not see or turn a blind eye to serious other crisis in Africa, mass poverty. A huge factor of Rhimani is that a majority of our items are handmade by incredible mamas in Nairobi. It’s crucial we recognise this and I see just how utterly valuable these women are to the brand. Therefore, every now and again, to show my complete appreciation and support, Rhimani will choose an African people based charity. It's our way of giving back to the communities and families that these women are from and part of.

I am incredibly pleased that this October 2019 Rhimani’s monthly ‘Chosen Charity’ is HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust). Hart’s mission is ‘to support people from conflict and persecution in places with no international attention and outside help.’ Hart currently have projects working in various countries in Africa including South Sudan, Sudan and Nigeria. Specifically in Sudan, Hart are currently trying to raise £5,000 for feminine hygiene packs for mature school girls. Alongside this they are trying to raise £6,000 to fix a temporary shelter for a school in an Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp in South Sudan. The shelter was destroyed in the floods and has badly affected the accessibility of school to hundreds of children.

I’ve been in touch with Lola who currently works at Hart. In her words she told me exactly why she thinks Hart is individual and worthwhile in it’s approach; “Often working behind closed borders, Hart reaches unreachable communities that are absent from the international media’s attention.” I think this is key. Without persecuting the media, it’s critical we look out for and support the families and communities that do not make it to our front page.

If you have purchased a Rhimani item this month, your donation has gone towards the worthwhile Hart. It has gone straight into one of their various projects and has supported their work in championing and supporting African communities.

It’s so special Rhimani is supporting Hart this month. Thank you Lola for taking the time to tell me about the work Hart does, it’s a pleasure to be able to support this unique charity.

Love,

Izzy xx

[rhimaniuk]

SEPTEMBER 2019 - TUSK

IT’S LAUNCH PARTY MONTH!! This September Rhimani is hosting a party to celebrate our first year of trading. For the event, I decided to organise a fundraiser for our September chosen charity. It’s a special month for Rhimani, we’re not only donating 10% of our makings to our chosen charity, but we are hosting a fundraiser for them. I wanted to make sure the charity we chose was a particularly worthwhile one. I am really excited to share with you that our September 2019 ‘Chosen Charity’ is TUSK.

TUSK was co-founded by Charlie Mayhew in 1990. I had the pleasure of meeting Charlie in November 2018 back when Rhimani previously supported TUSK. The sheer success of TUSK shows you just how huge Charlie is. The charity has grown incredibly, today Prince William is a TUSK patron. I thought to make our launch party special, I would get in touch with Charlie and ask him if he would be interested in conducting a small talk for our fundraiser. I genuinely had no idea he was actually going to turn around and say yes. So, it gives me incredible pleasure to let you know that Charlie is coming to the Rhimani launch party and giving a small talk on African conservation.

For TUSK tackling poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict is something that needs to happen amongst the people; ‘We believe local people and organisations are best positioned to address these threats, but are often under-resourced and lack the recognition they deserve.’

Alongside the people, TUSK believe education is fundamental to progressive African Conservation movements. ‘We support and promote effective environmental education designed to provide a more sustainable future for the next generation.’ Fundamentally both these approaches (education and addressing local people) make TUSK the incredibly successful charity it is today.

Currently TUSK have plenty of projects running, all of which with one end goal - ‘a future in which people and wildlife can both thrive across the African continent.’ Some of these projects are; Blue Ventures (marine conservation), Big Life Foundation (poaching) and AfriCat Foundation (Cheetah conservation). Your RHIMANI purchase this January has gone towards supporting TUSK. You have helped them continue to run these hugely effective and wonderful projects. For any more info on TUSK or to just have a browse at the many projects they currently have running, check it all out at - www.tusk.org/the-solutions/our-projects/

This launch party has let me slightly reflect on Rhimani’s last year. We’ve traded at 6 big music festivals, I now run Rhimani full time (and moving to London and renting office space to do this in October), hired three interns and completed a university tour. It’s mad what’s happened to Rhimani this last year. I can’t wait to be at this point next year and see what we got up too!

[rhimaniuk]

AUGUST 2019 - EXTINCTION REBELLION

Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion and Single-Use Plastic are probably three phrases you’ve  become very familiar with this summer. It’s crystal clear, whether you’ve particularly wanted to know about it or not, that our world is facing a climate crisis.

Although I massively applaud a 16 year old getting fully engrossed in politics, and although its incredibly positive to see us using much less plastic, the one that’s particularly stuck with me is ‘Extinction Rebellion’. At the beginning of the summer London saw it’s biggest protests since the suffragettes. For 5 days, we witnessed mass crowds, severe interruptions and jail arrests all in protest of climate change. That was Extinction Rebellion.

Climate change plays a huge role in the decline of our species. With climate change, the fragility of certain animals’ habitats is very concerning. As WWF mentioned the ‘more frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans can directly harm animals and destroy the places they live’. Moreover, animals hunting for food will become ever harder. Their hunting ground will get smaller and smaller and their prey will get fewer and fewer. This August 2019, Rhimani’s monthly ‘Chosen Charity’ is not supporting one specific animal, but supporting a movement that in turn supports all of them.

Extinction Rebellion have three objectives; 1) the government must declare a climate “emergency”, 2) the UK must legally commit to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and 3) a citizens’ assembly must be formed to “oversee the changes”. Well, in May 2019, we saw the UK government declare a climate emergency. Their first objective has happened. The impact Extinction Rebellion have right now is incredible, it’s a pleasure to be able to support them this month.

So far this summer, Rhimani has traded at 4 festivals and Extinction Rebellion has been present at all 4 festivals. At Latitude we saw a party of 12 or so people dressed in red robes and pale white faces marching through the crowds. This red dress look is Extinction Rebellion’s signature look. They choose to wear these robes to represent the ‘blood of the species’. I have no doubts supporting Extinction Rebellion, it’s clear how important saving our species means to them.

Love,

Izzy xx