How the One for One face mask donations have reached beyond borders
When Pok and Heather started the One for One initiative, they never thought it would reach so many people and it would go beyond Laos.
However, almost 6 months into the initiative, Passa Paa has been able to donate around 3000 reusable face covers and reached numerous people.
We couldn’t have done this with the support of :
Nest Artisan Guild
https://www.buildanest.org/
“Nest is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) building a new hand worker economy to increase global workforce inclusivity, improve women’s wellbeing beyond factories, and preserve important cultural traditions around the world.”
As part of their programs, Nest started a relief grant for artisan organisations that were affected by Covid-19. We were lucky enough to receive this grant that allowed us to keep our company afloat during these hard months and to start selling our face covers.
Once we had started production and started selling, we knew we needed to give back somehow. So the One for One initiative began and hasn’t stopped growing since.
This is why we decided to share with you where these face covers have gone to and who they are benefiting. All of the following companies or organisations are good-doers that inspire us and have supported us through this journey. We hope you get to know them and if you can, support them as well by donating or sharing their work.
Save the Children
Received 500 Passa Paa face masks
“Save the Children began its operation in Lao PDR in 1987, and since then we have developed a strong reputation as the leading child rights organisation in the country. We strive to ensure that children’s rights to education, health, protection and participation are fulfilled at all times, including during disasters.”
https://laos.savethechildren.net/
communications.laos@savethechildren.org
My Library - The Language Project
Received 500 Passa Paa face masks
“My Library creates new or supports existing libraries in Laos to help those who are helping themselves. Our libraries range in size from a box of books in a village house to a large self-study resource centre in the education centre of the north, Luang Prabang. While our initial impetus was supporting self-study in English, we have expanded to support self-study in any subject and many languages.”
http://www.thelanguageproject.org/
info@thelanguageproject.org
Big Brother Mouse
Received 1000 Passa Paa face masks
“We're Big Brother Mouse, a Lao-based, Lao-owned organization. Since 2006, we've been publishing "books that make literacy fun!" In 2016, we opened Big Sister Mouse, a school on the outskirts of Luang Prabang, with students ranging from pre-school to young adults. There we create a learning environment that is fun and satisfying, while also helping young people develop all their abilities, from reading and math and languages to life skills such as perseverance and cooperation.”
http://www.bigbrothermouse.com/
BigBrotherMouse@yahoo.com
Luang Prabang Orphanage School
Received 140 Passa Paa face masks
This school hosts 447 students, between 6-18 years old, all mostly Hmong and Khmu ethnicity. Lead by 46 lao staff and Ms. Parn the head of the school who told us endless stories of students that make her proud. For this specific organization, we added the donations made through our website and the support of Exo Foundation and Exo Travel who bought face masks for their team in Laos!
Luang Prabang Orphanage School Facebook page
EXO Travel: https://www.exotravel.com/
EXO foundation: https://exofoundation.org/who-we-are/
Luang Prabang Special Education School
Mute and Deaf Community
Received 500 Passa Paa face masks
“The Luang Prabang Special Education School gives to deaf children the opportunity to receive an education, and to learn a job in order to have a better professional integration. Thus, they are trained for weaving, dressmaking, carpentry, mechanic and for the catering sector. To value their work, and promote their apprenticeship, the centre has developed businesses.”
http://deaf-mute-luangprabang.strikingly.com
deaf.mute.luangprabang@gmail.com
Because one of Passa Paa founders (Heather) is based in the UK right now, Passa Paa realised we had a unique chance of reaching more communities in need of face covers outside of the Lao borders.
Our dear and talented friend, Niki Groom was our biggest resource when it came to figuring out who could benefit from this kind of donation. Niki is not only a genius with pens and watercolours, illustrating really unique projects but she’s a huge supporter to refugees in the U.K and always spreading the word about worthwhile projects and organisations to get involved in or read more about. If you can, go check out her gorgeous illustrations shop and Instagram account, she has a wonderful sense of humour and super inspiring to follow!
@miss_magpie_spy
Refugee Women of Bristol
Received 105 Passa Paa face masks
“Refugee Women of Bristol (RWoB) is the only multi-ethnic, multi-faith organisation which specifically targets the needs of refugee women in Bristol, we are directly governed by women of the refugee and asylum-seeking community. We provide services to disenfranchised groups over and above the generic category of ‘refugee’, and routinely reach cohorts of women that other service-providers overlook or are unable to access.”
http://www.refugeewomenofbristol.org.uk/
info@refugeewomenofbristol.org.uk
West London Welcome
Received 50 Passa Paa face masks
“West London Welcome is a drop-in community centre for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and other locals living in West London, and is the first of its kind in the area. We were set up by local people active in Hammersmith’s Refugees Welcome Group, and opened our doors in January 2018.”
https://westlondonwelcome.com/
hello@westlondonwelcome.com
“We are beyond delighted to have received these in the post today. They are so well made and gorgeous. Can’t wait to hand them out to our service users. Thank you so much Passa Paa for choosing us as a beneficiary of this fantastic project. We would encourage everyone to order a lovely mask in the comfort of knowing that one will be donated to someone who cant afford one.”
Not all of our donations have been made through organisations. Some, like the face covers donated to Lao villages (150 face covers) were organised through their village chief or through local word of mouth about out initiative.
We’re so grateful to every organisation listed here and to every person who has helped in any way to make this initiative what it is today.
If you bought a One for One face cover, THANK YOU! If you haven’t but you will, THANK YOU! and if you can’t buy one but you have some how told anyone or shared through social media about us, THANK YOU! All these different ways of helping mean so much to so many, specially our team of artisans in Laos.
This will article is alive, meaning that we are constantly updating it as we keep donating and reaching out to more contacts and communities.
If you have a community or an organisation that you think would benefit from a donation, let us know! Send us a private message through our social media channels or send us an email to info@passa-paa.com