Annemarie Cutruzzola
To celebrate her upcoming birthday, Lilly Singh is asking her community of nearly 10 million subscribers to give the gift of education and Girl Love in the form of a Rafiki bracelet. In partnership with the social movement Me to We, Lilly recently went on a trip to Kenya to see firsthand the positive impacts her Girl Love movement can have across the world.
She described the experience as “life-changing”, and it is likely an eye opener for her average viewer as well. The Me to We and Girl Love movements both share similar principals of empowerment, kindness, and equality.
Stand up for your beliefs. Embrace your authentic self. Speak out about important issues. Come together and let your voices be heard.
While in Kenya, Lilly got to see her efforts come to life before her eyes. For months she had been working with Me to We to design a special Girl Love Rafiki bracelet- a long string of blue and white glass beads accentuated with a brass #GirlLove charm. It can be worn in various forms, such as a bracelet, necklace or anklet.
Each Rafiki is handcrafted by a mother, otherwise known as “mama”, in Kenya. They receive fair wages for their work which lets them afford necessities such as food and water, but also to be able to send their daughters to school. Plus, since beading is already apart of their culture, it is work that they thoroughly enjoy!
Along with providing an income for these women, the proceeds from the bracelets sold help send girls in Kenya to school. Each package is printed with a unique tracking number, which you can use to track your donation and see the impact it has made. Lilly also visited a girl’s school in Kenya to witness the positive effects of giving girls access to education. She appreciated the kindness, humour, and affection they showed her during her stay.
The support Lilly has received behind this movement has been amazing to witness. Lilly’s goal of selling 1500 bracelets was easily reached in under 24 hours, and the purchases are still coming in steady. She has since set a new goal of selling 6000 bracelets. Some of Lilly’s friends have also shown their support for this movement.
My friends are supporting the #GirlLove Rafikis and it's making me so emotional. I'm so grateful ?????
— Lilly Singh (@IISuperwomanII) September 21, 2016
These bracelets, and the Girl Love movement as a whole, is clearly an initiative close to Lilly’s heart. Throughout her Kenya video, you can see and hear just how passionate she is about sending girls to school and working to improve the quality of life for every woman in the world. In her daily vlog on the release day of the bracelets, she speaks even more about just how much this cause matters to her.
In the wise words of Lilly Singh: “The problem is actually not too big to fix, if you just start to fix it.”
To find out more about the partnership between Me to We and Girl Love, click here. The Girl Love Rafiki bracelets are available for purchase here from September 20th-30th.
Will you be purchasing a Girl Love Rafiki? Let us know on Twitter @CelebMix.
