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The children from Tanzania saved their own school simply by drawing pictures of animals. Former teacher Martin Kluck, worked with a primary school in Tanzania. One of the students, Abigail, gave him a handmade drawing for him to keep. He imprinted it onto a shirt as a souvenir and reminder of his stay at Tanzania. He never thought it would become something more than just a shirt. When he found out Abigail’s parents could no longer afford to pay for her school, Martin came up with an idea. In October of 2010, he began to make more shirts with the design on it and began to sell them to his friends to help pay for her school and other expenses. When he realized people were willing to buy the shirts with the unique designs on them, he made more shirts with different animals that the children had drawn. He then founded the company Kipepeo Clothing.
The Kipepeo designs are all drawn by the children of the school as a part of their lessons. Many of the designs include animals like monkeys, giraffes, zebras, hippos, elephants, and flamingos. The shirts are made with certified organic cotton harvested by farmers in Tanzania. They are also locally manufactured so not only does Kipepeo help the children, it also helps out the community. The shirts are produced in Arusha, Tanzania by workers with fair working conditions and pay. Once the shirts are made, they are sent to Germany where the design is printed on them and “lovingly packaged as if intended for a good friend.”
Selling the shirts to help pay for her school and other children’s school was a huge success. 10% of the profits from the shirt go towards the school, and as of today, $35,000 has been raised. This has gone towards fees for 20 of the children at the school, a new school building, a power line, teacher salaries, and even a new computer classroom!
In March of 2012, enough money was funded to finish the kitchen building at Mecsons School, where food could now be cooked under hygienic conditions. It was a big deal because they had not been able to cook in a sanitary place before. In September of 2012, a new water pipe was added to the school. This allowed groundwater to be brought to the surface by simply using the pump. In March of 2013, new school benches were funded by Kipepeo at a different school, Utukufu School. New blackboards were also bought for the school. He also provided each of the students with new uniforms and helped repaint and repair any damages in the wall in September of 2013.
This company has changed the lives of many drastically. Because of these shirts, students have been able to stay in school and non-students have benefitted by it because of the jobs it has provided. These products are sold online at www.kipepeo-clothing.com. There is a wide selection of designs, colors, and sizes, so get yourself a cute shirt or sweater and make a difference in someone’s life!