Colette & Monique share their volunteer experience

Colette Forma (leftmost) on a meeting with the G&G team: (L-R) Greg Perez,
Executive Director; Michael Golsworthy, AYAD Volunteer; Marge Obligacion,
 In-House Designer  at the Gifts & Graces office

In April 2011, our company Moodies celebrated its 10th anniversary. A special moment that we wanted to mark in a meaningful way. Around the same time, we met SharePeople, an organisation that connects social entrepreneurs in developing countries with European professionals in various fields. They suggested we volunteer for Gifts & Graces, who were in need of a retail concept for their fair trade products.

As our own business had to continue as well, only one of us could go and work at G&G. Colette was the lucky one, but of course she was also the one who had to leave behind her family and get all the vaccinations J. At G&G, Colette met a professional and very dedicated team with a clear look on their business. They introduced her to some of the community workers. A quote from her diary:

"I was very impressed by all the communities I visited. For example, Boy Buenafe, the artist that decorates the woven paper bags. He lives in a very poor neighbourhood. The streets are full of dogs, chicken, laundry, waste and junk. This is where the children play… We entered the artist's house by a very small staircase. His 'studio' consisted of a table full of working materials, next to the kitchen. It was really impressive that in this small workspace he creates the pictures on the G&G bags, one by one and all by hand. The result is unique and of high quality – something to be proud of!"

What inspired us most, is that G&G does not give such communities one big order once, but aims to give them continues orders. Also, they help to improve the quality of their products and in general, to build their business. This way, people get a real chance to build a live for themselves, their familiy and their kids.

It has been a very rewarding experience, to add a little of our knowledge and experience to G&G. And we learned a lot ourselves as well! We will tell you more about the job we did next time.

Colette Forma and Monique are the managing directors of Moodies, a Dutch agency that works for large corporate clients. We make sure our client's target groups are receptive to their message. Our moodmaking activities concentrate on internal and external communications, as wel as brand experience and interior design.