We're still collecting donations
On the 16th December 2020 we'd raised £140 with 1 supporters in 21 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
The global pandemic has created a very uncertain landscape for business in general. Secret Projects is determined to thrive...read on...
by Fritha Mason in India
On the 16th December 2020 we'd raised £140 with 1 supporters in 21 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has created a very uncertain landscape for millions of businesses around the world. Here at Secret Projects we are absolutely determined to thrive. We have worked hard over the past few months to transform our business to be Covid proof in the future.
1. We have turned our Training for Empowerment Programme to a virtual programme
2. We have moved almost 100% of our selling to online platforms and, we are rapidly expanding the platforms we sell through and countries we can sell into.
In more detail...
We spent lockdown dividing our online retail store into 3 stores selling directly from our India Subsidiary company, Social Power India (SPI) to customers in the UK, Europe and USA.
Right now, we are turning our attention to the stock we are holding in the UK and sourcing news ways of selling Secret Products through various marketplaces. We are completely determined to still be able to offer our loyal customers base some fun and "super quick to receive" Secret Products. So... we are running a pre- Christmas sale on our beloved Personalised Secret Pillows!
Perfect for an ethical/homemade Christmas gift and hours of fun for the little creative ones in your life!
There are two secrets to the pillows. The first secret is that the making and selling of Secret Pillows unfolds women's power in India, and the second secret is that the pillow unfolds into a snugly blanket.
We have been selling Secret Pillows since our social business, Secret Projects began in 2014. We have trained over 500 women in India to make Secret Pillows and have sold thousands all around the globe. We work with women in India who have good stitching skills but, live in areas where they are unable to use their skill to earn money to support themselves and their families. Our aim is to provide them with opportunities to generate an income and, if they wish to do so, set up of their own micro-enterprises. We know that when women have confidence and resources they are able to make the best choices for themselves and their families and enable their communities to thrive.
Because of this, we want to protect and evolve the Secret Pillow to provide more options for our Maker Community, which is how we came up with the idea for the Personalised Secret Pillow!
This is the product we dreamed of! The Personalised Secret Pillow available with a range of charming messages: Best Teacher, Good Luck, Love, Thank you, or choose a letter of the alphabet.
Best Teacher: The perfect end of year gift for your child's teacher. The children and parents can cover the blanket with message of thanks and pictures. *
Good Luck: This is the perfect 'off to uni/college/travelling' gift. Messages can be written by old school friends and the family.*
Thank you: The perfect gift for a colleague who is leaving their job after years of dedicated service, or indeed for anyone you feel needs a special thank you. *
The alphabet letter collection: Gives so much room for creativity and who doesn't love a monogram of their name!
Please see the film below for a glimpse of what creativity can be unleased on a Personalised Secret Pillow! So much fun to be had!
Please note:
* A full pack of Sharpies is not included. We have tested a variety of fabric paints, Sharpies etc. and the Secret Pillow washes well with them. You can buy these supplies online, or at your local craft shop. Your pillow will come with 3 fabric pens, with the colours being picked at randomly.
Our Personalised Secret Pillow crowdfunding campaign will last for 2 weeks only and we can only post to UK addresses to ensure that all orders arrive safely in time for Christmas.
Before we move on, let's take a little time to explore how the making and selling of Secret Pillows empowers women in India. Secret Projects is an ethical brand, providing training and support to our Makers and paying each women at least twice the minimum wage. Our Virtual Training for Empowerment Programme has 4 stages, training, professionalism, development and independence. Many of the women we work with are now able to pay for their children to go to school, buy food and medicine for their families and feel empowered to work towards their goal of financial independence.
We hope you can help us to support them on their journey by backing this campaign and buying a Personalised Secret Pillow.
Our chart shows clearly how the total cost of each Secret Pillow is divided up. For us, the most important aspect is that each Maker has already received 500 Rupees per Personalised Secret Pillow they have lovingly stitched. If you consider that on average the women will generate an informal income of just 2000 rupees per month from low paid labour such as cleaning, road building, working in the fields etc., so, the making of Secret Pillows can be truly transformational for them. This is something we are so proud of! 500 Rupees* goes a long way in India and our Makers use their earnings to buy food, medicines, fund education for their children and pay their rent.
*500 rupees is about £5.50 / $7.70
1. Head over to the rewards section and select your Personalised Secret Pillow/s (eg, 1 x "C" Secret Pillow)
2. You will be prompted to make a payment by either credit or debit card. The payment will be taken immediately and held by Crowdfunder until our campaign closes in 2 weeks time.
3. At the point the campaign ends, Secret Projects will receive all the funds from Crowdfunder. You will receive an email from Secret Projects thanking you for backing the campaign and confirming the details of your order.
5. The orders will be sent immediately via Royal Mail second class service. The last posting date to arrive in time for Christmas for second class via Royal Mail is Friday 18 December, but we predict that all our parcels will leave our UK store room on Wednesday 16 December.
6. If you still have questions, please click one of the links below to visit Secret Projects online retail stores and jump on 'Live Chat'. If we are not available, please leave a message and will come back to you within 1 working day!
7. If you want to learn more about Secret Projects, please click here to visit our new website. Enjoy!
Thank you for driving our mission to empower women in India.
This project offered rewards