Environmental Designer from Mauritius needs you!

Hi, my name is Rob Salafia. I am an executive coach at MIT Sloan School of Management and am currently a mentor to a very talented artist and designer from the island of Mauritius. From my very first call, I was taken by her mission to create wearable art utilizing locally sourced and sustainable materials. 

 

Meet Shivani Ragavoodoo Canee. An artist and entrepreneur with a vision for creating a small business enterprise that would have a tangible impact on society, the local economy and sustainable land use.  She has worked intensively on developing new crafting techniques and now wants to share her knowledge on a larger scale to benefit the local artisans in her community. 

 

Picture pristine turquoise lagoons, sandy beaches, and lush mountains. Shivani is convinced that her island is full of untapped natural materials like the pandanus utilis, a unique plant native to Mauritius. This plant is part of the local culture as it was used to weave packaging for sugar export and has since been present in almost everyone's household in the form of a market bag.

 

Shivani sees this plant as a low environmental impact material to be showcased in her artistic and ethical fashion accessories. She plans to upskill island artisans to produce her products aiding the local economy, adding value to local materials, and giving people a sense of being a part of something bigger than themselves. (People, Profit, Planet) 

 

What would it take for Shivani to make her vision a reality? 10,000 USD would give her the seed money for an entire year to:

 

• Purchase machineries to increase efficiency of processing the source materials, as well as enhancing visual aesthetic of end products,

•  Advance research and development to evolve crafting techniques,

•  Hire and train local artisans thus increasing their wage and standard of living, 

•  Create an e-commerce website to sell her products internationally and create a sustainable business. 

 

Join me in helping her to realize her goals. Please be sure to include your full name and address for us to send you something special! 

 

• For donations between $1 - $20 you will receive an eThankYou card to being a valuable part of this campaign. 

• For donations between $20 - $100 you will receive an Island-made token of appreciation that you will love. 

• For donations $100 and above you will receive a surprise gift bundle made up with a selection of wearable art that you will be proud to own. 

 

Be a part of something greater than yourself.

 

Thank you!

 

Rob

 

p.s. If you would like to see new sustainability projects Shivani has been working on, please go to: 

 

www.instagram.com/cahaya_morphosis 

www.facebook.com/cahayamorphosis