Awesome Blossoms: Celebrating Our Success and Looking Forward to the Future

We are thrilled to share some fantastic news with you! Thanks to the incredible generosity and support from our FAWCO members and donors, we have reached our initial fundraising goal of $140,000 for the Target Project: Awesome Blossoms. This remarkable achievement comes eight months ahead of our timeline, and we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you. Your commitment and enthusiasm have truly made a difference.

What’s Next: Sustainability and Growth

Now that we have reached this significant milestone, we are excited to announce the next phase of our journey: ensuring the long-term sustainability and growth of the Awesome Blossoms project. Our new goal is to raise an additional $50,000 to purchase permanent farmland, which will provide a stable foundation for our hydroponic urban farming initiatives.

Securing Permanent Land

One of the key challenges Awesome Blossoms faces is the uncertainty and limitation of leasing land. To address this, with the continuing support of the FAWCO community, Safe Spaces plans to acquire a plot of land (minimum 80 x 60 meters) in Kikuyu, Zambezi, or Uthiru. This land will be used to establish sustainable vertical farming systems that are crucial for the continued success of the Awesome Blossoms project. By owning the land, Safe Spaces can ensure accessibility, proximity to target communities, and the availability of necessary infrastructure.

Developing Infrastructure

Once the land is secured, the next step is to develop the necessary infrastructure. This involves uninstalling the current farm infrastructure from the existing leased farms and relocating the hydroponic equipment to the new site. These vertical farming structures will support optimal production efficiency and sustainability. 

Long-Term Viability and Impact

Owning the land opens up new possibilities for growth and sustainability. The new farm will have the capacity to house additional vertical systems, allowing Safe Spaces to expand operations incrementally each year. The business model for Awesome Blossoms allocates 80% of the profits to fund Safe Spaces programs and 20% for expansion. This approach ensures that the project can continually grow, serving more communities and making a lasting impact.

How You Can Help

Our journey doesn’t end here. To make this vision a reality, we need your continued support. The cost of purchasing the land, preparing it, and relocating the existing farms is approximately $50,000. By reaching this goal, we can ensure the long-term sustainability of Awesome Blossoms, providing stable employment for micro-entrepreneurs and peer educators involved in the project.

We encourage all FAWCO members and supporters to keep the momentum going. Your donations, fundraising efforts, and enthusiasm have brought us this far, and with your help, we can achieve even greater heights. Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to securing the future of Awesome Blossoms and making a profound difference in the lives of many.

Let’s continue to grow together and support this transformative project. Pledge your commitment to Target 5.0 and be part of this exciting journey. Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication.

28 March 2025

The FAWCO Foundation’s Target FUNdraising Team and a Story of Collaboration:

EVERY CLUB IS PART OF A LARGER PICTURE: AND EVERY ONE WAS PART OF OUR GARDEN PUZZLE!

When I became Target Fundraising Coordinator, I knew I could not work alone, a team is always better. So, I put out a call to like minded people, and the result was an amazing group of fun, motivated women. We ‘Zoom’ every month or two, just to brainstorm the best way to keep Awesome Blossoms visible in our clubs (when I say clubs, it always includes FAUSA!)  and in our regions.

Before the Interim Meeting we wanted to come up with an idea to engage as many of our clubs as possible, preferably all of them. It started with the usual conversation about competition among the clubs, but with the disparity of numbers of clubs per region and sizes of clubs, there was really no ‘fair’ way to create a competition.

More importantly, we came to the conclusion that collaboration was much better than competition and the Puzzle idea was born.

It started as a ‘virtual’ puzzle, but technology won so we went with old school- let’s build a puzzle. That would be a tactile physical representation of what we are helping to create in Kenya.

From the first announcement of the puzzle creation in October’s Target bulletin, to the last call for donations in March, clubs participated. And the few clubs that could not, were funded by my team, to be sure that we had pieces of our puzzle to represent all of us!

This is how it worked: 

Each time a club held a fundraiser, a puzzle piece was added to our hydroponic garden puzzle! Regardless of club size, every club could participate. For example, if a club had only nine members, one member could invite her BFF over for lunch, make her a PB&J and an apple (kid’s meals, yum) and then donate the $20 (or $40 if wine was involved)  they might have spent for lunch to Awesome Blossoms. Simple ideas worked. 

With monthly Target bulletin reminders that it only took a single member, having a club friend over for lunch or coffee, to donate the amount saved by staying home to Awesome Blossoms, the puzzle grew. 

The puzzle allowed us to see what we are creating. It was a physical manifestation of our collaboration..every delegate at the Interim Meeting received a piece of the puzzle. If a club was not in attendance, we placed the piece for them. 

We had pieces representing all 58 FAWCO clubs and FAUSA!!! 

 

The puzzle was a hit!  From the drama of missing the center piece of the puzzle- no joke, really- to putting in the last piece at the Sunday session, the puzzle was fun. Each rep of the clubs that were present placed their piece of the puzzle. Check out the photographs on the FAWCO members facebook page. Thanks to Anitra Kitts from Munich for picking up not only her piece but the piece inadvertently left on the table for Lebanon. Placing the final piece was much more exciting after wondering if the center would be a hole, colored in with markers or actually completed. No surprise, with this group of resourceful women, no pieces were lost! 

Thanks to every club and FAUSA and my FUNdraising team for this incredible collaboration. No clubs were left out, as the team donated on their behalf. With collaboration among this group, there is no limit to the good we can do. 

 

Lauren Mescon

Target Project 5 Fundraising Coordinator

 

 

20 June 2024

What does one do with approximately10,000 strawberry plants at the end of the growing season?

On Saturday, 28 October 2023, Nu-Paris, an urban farm located on a rooftop in Paris, chose to organize a giveaway--FREE strawberry plants (just the chance to try one’s hand at overwintering a strawberry plant) while encouraging its supporters to donate to a “worthy cause” echoing its activity, an urban farm in Nairobi: our TP 5— “Awesome Blossoms”.   

This all came about because I took a tour of Nu-Paris this summer, liked their vibe, exchanged ideas, joined their distribution list-- and they circled back to me with this generous proposition. AAWE in action! 

Table presentation featured: postcards (VERY popular; only used French version), A3 posters in French on the board with QR code to FAWCO Foundation page and/or AAWE donation page, a few color photocopies of AAWE designs, a donation box and Awesome Blossoms buttons. 

Attendance: A light flow of mainly Nu-Paris adherents, despite chilly weather and the Toussaint school vacation holiday. Interest in the project IS there. 

Outreach: AAWE SM blasts, Instagram, Facebook… plus Nu distribution list & SM. The strawberry pick-up for Nu members continues thru 2 Nov. One French language poster explaining the project and several postcards left on site. Therefore, any additional donations will be made via QR code.

As listed on the translated version of the FAWCO Foundation info sheet: every euro counts!

via Sheila Doucet (AAWE, FAWCO Environment Team Co-Chair)

04 November 2023

04 November 2023

04 November 2023

As the holiday season approaches, it's the perfect time to come together and make a difference in the lives of others. Our 2023-2025 Target Project, AWESOME BLOSSOMS by Safe Spaces in Nairobi, Kenya has taken off with a bang!

Empowering Women, Nourishing Communities

Awesome Blossoms is more than just a farming project; it's a beacon of hope for women in the Mathare slums of Nairobi. This initiative aims to educate and train women in hydroponic farming, providing them with essential skills and financial literacy. What's remarkable is that these farms are located at select primary schools, benefiting not only the women but also the school children and the larger community.

The project currently serves 75 women who are learning sustainable farming methods while nurturing the next generation with good nutrition from the healthy produce they cultivate. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved, and it's all about empowerment, education, and sustainable change.

How Can You Help?

This holiday season, you have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of these women and their communities. We've created lovely virtual and paper ornaments that your club can use to raise money for Awesome Blossoms. These ornaments can be given as a thoughtful gesture instead of traditional gifts, or you can offer them to club members when they make a donation.

Every donation, no matter the size, plays a crucial role in supporting the women of Awesome Blossoms. Here's a glimpse of what your generous contributions can provide:

• $1 buys seeds
• $2 buys pumice
• $8 buys red soil
• $25 buys a knapsack sprayer
• $25 buys shade netting
• $36 buys a vertical/crate garden
• $40 buys protective farm gear
• $115 buys a farm tool set
• $360 buys water pipes
• $400 buys a water tank

Ornaments That Make a Difference

To make your donation even more special, we've prepared a selection of "ornaments" that you can choose from. These ornaments can be given as heartfelt gifts, added to your club's giving tree, or shared in any way your club desires. They not only symbolize the spirit of giving but also represent a brighter future for the women of Awesome Blossoms.

The holidays are a time for joy, generosity, and making a positive impact. Join us in supporting this incredible project, and together, let's help Awesome Blossoms bloom and thrive. Your donation can truly make a world of difference.

02 April 2024