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Hunger can be the desire to achieve something, the motivation that pushes you to be better, or the harsh reality of a lack of food.
And that’s precisely why Ottawa-area entrepreneurs Dylan Corbett, 26, and Danika Gagnon, 28, decided to name their socially progressive clothing brand The Hunger Republic.
“Our goal is to harness the hunger to make a better world to help tackle important social issues,” Corbett said.
Indeed, The Hunger Republic is more than just another online clothing company; with every sale, it makes a donation to the Gatina Youth and Empowerment Program (GYEP), which organizes sporting events to help Kenyan children stay off the streets of Nairobi and learn teamwork and co-operation skills.
Launched in October 2014, online startup The Hunger Republic sells handcrafted bracelets and locally supplied clothing such as shirts, hoodies, leggings and hats. With each purchase, the customer can decide which of the four aid categories they want to donate to: sports, education, food or community development.
Corbett says he always knew he wanted to start a business, but he wanted to do more than simply make a profit.
“I came up with the concept of The Hunger Republic along with Danika, and it all came together during my travels to Africa where I volunteered with The Gatina Youth and Empowerment Program. I was amazed by the huge impact the program was having with such little resources and thought they would be the ideal charity partner. So we struck up a partnership with them.”
Children involved with the Gatina Youth and Empowerement Program send a thank you to The Hunger Republic.
The partnership has already been fruitful. After the first three months, the two were able to donate more than $600 and provide school supplies to over 50 children. Naturally, feedback from the Kenyan charity has been more than positive.
“(The charity) is beyond appreciative and happy with the donations we’ve been able to provide,” Corbett says. “It has really helped the program and made a big impact. They send us photos of the farm’s progress and of the soccer teams.”
Martin Kibera, founder of the GYEP, told the Citizen funds have already been used toward educational and agricultural support, as well as transportation.
“We’ve been able to use the funds for exercise and text books, and other necessary stationeries that are given to needy children, and our agriculture program that gives back a certain portion of the farm produce to the community, as well as our football team that is now able to participate in various tournaments in different parts of the country,” Kibera said.
The end goal is to make the GYEP self-sustainable, rather than making its future development dependent on foreign aid — something Africa experts and academics have been increasingly emphasizing in their policy and aid recommendations in the past couple of years.
“Our goal is not to give the charity money, it’s to give them the tools that they need so that they can become sustainable and generate their own income, and not need us in the end,” explains Gagnon.
While the business is not yet profitable, costs associated with running it are below $100 a month. Since Corbett moved to Fort McMurray, Alta., recently, the two rely on technology to not only communicate on a daily basis, but also to run the business together.
In the end, the ability to help those in need is worth the time invested, Corbett and Gagnon say.
“We’d like to be in retail stores and eventually partner with other charities to help communities everywhere.”
查看原文...
And that’s precisely why Ottawa-area entrepreneurs Dylan Corbett, 26, and Danika Gagnon, 28, decided to name their socially progressive clothing brand The Hunger Republic.
“Our goal is to harness the hunger to make a better world to help tackle important social issues,” Corbett said.
Indeed, The Hunger Republic is more than just another online clothing company; with every sale, it makes a donation to the Gatina Youth and Empowerment Program (GYEP), which organizes sporting events to help Kenyan children stay off the streets of Nairobi and learn teamwork and co-operation skills.
Launched in October 2014, online startup The Hunger Republic sells handcrafted bracelets and locally supplied clothing such as shirts, hoodies, leggings and hats. With each purchase, the customer can decide which of the four aid categories they want to donate to: sports, education, food or community development.
Corbett says he always knew he wanted to start a business, but he wanted to do more than simply make a profit.
“I came up with the concept of The Hunger Republic along with Danika, and it all came together during my travels to Africa where I volunteered with The Gatina Youth and Empowerment Program. I was amazed by the huge impact the program was having with such little resources and thought they would be the ideal charity partner. So we struck up a partnership with them.”
Children involved with the Gatina Youth and Empowerement Program send a thank you to The Hunger Republic.
The partnership has already been fruitful. After the first three months, the two were able to donate more than $600 and provide school supplies to over 50 children. Naturally, feedback from the Kenyan charity has been more than positive.
“(The charity) is beyond appreciative and happy with the donations we’ve been able to provide,” Corbett says. “It has really helped the program and made a big impact. They send us photos of the farm’s progress and of the soccer teams.”
Martin Kibera, founder of the GYEP, told the Citizen funds have already been used toward educational and agricultural support, as well as transportation.
“We’ve been able to use the funds for exercise and text books, and other necessary stationeries that are given to needy children, and our agriculture program that gives back a certain portion of the farm produce to the community, as well as our football team that is now able to participate in various tournaments in different parts of the country,” Kibera said.
The end goal is to make the GYEP self-sustainable, rather than making its future development dependent on foreign aid — something Africa experts and academics have been increasingly emphasizing in their policy and aid recommendations in the past couple of years.
“Our goal is not to give the charity money, it’s to give them the tools that they need so that they can become sustainable and generate their own income, and not need us in the end,” explains Gagnon.
While the business is not yet profitable, costs associated with running it are below $100 a month. Since Corbett moved to Fort McMurray, Alta., recently, the two rely on technology to not only communicate on a daily basis, but also to run the business together.
In the end, the ability to help those in need is worth the time invested, Corbett and Gagnon say.
“We’d like to be in retail stores and eventually partner with other charities to help communities everywhere.”
查看原文...
