Last month, our founder Virginia Bruce travelled to Nairobi, Kenya to meet with some of the inspirational people behind the Ethical Fashion Initiative and Ethical Fashion Africa. A part of the International Trade Centre, the EFI has been a key player in poverty alleviation by using the fashion industry as a vehicle for some of Africa’s most disenfranchised communities.
From walking through a slum in Nairobi to visiting the EFI workshops and the people she met along the way, Virginia shares some of the highlights – and surprises – from her journey.
06.05.14 – Korogocho : The Invisible City.
On Monday I walked through ‘Korogocho’, one of Nairobi’s slums.
We were greeted there by a group of 6 or 7 children, between the ages of 5 and 9 – joyful, mischievous, inquisitive, laughing, giggling, smiling – all wanting their photos taken while they practiced their English.
“How are you ?” – these three words were chanted throughout the slum by almost every child that we passed. Clearly they had been taught to be considerate and to …