Rockflower Launches Campaign to Expand Women Owned Business in Nicaragua

In the summer of 2017 Rockflower partnered with Casa Congo, a fast growing international conservation movement with a social enterprise and based in Astillero, Nicaragua, to provide funds and expertise to expand The Women's Collective at El Astillero. Las Tejedoras or "The Weavers", a group of women established in 2007, are the founding members of this Collective and have proven their skill and ingenuity in creating a business that to date has recycled over 400,000 plastic bags discarded on the streets and beaches of Astillero to create beautiful bags, hats, wallets, and other products. Their slogan, “Una Bolsa Más, Una Tortuga Menos” translates to “One More Bag, One Less Turtle.”

Casa Congo has a vision to empower the local community through environmental and cultural conservation, through the four pillars of Ecology, Ocean Advocacy, Built Environments and Place Making.

The Rockflower/Casa Congo partnership will act as a gardener to facilitate the growth of The Women's Collective through the provision of access to credit and micro loans, educational workshops and collaborative endeavors. In order to learn, gain confidence and expertise, and increase their potential for economic empowerment, the women need support' not only through investment, but in developing business and marketing models to maximize their amazing entrepreneurial spirit. 

This campaign is raising funds to build upon an earlier investment in The Tejedoras Juice and Smoothie Bar, an idea which this determined and inspired group of women brought to life in December of 2017.  

Now they are ready to take their vision to the next level. The expansion will consist of:

• Bicycle powered juice blenders ("Blender Bikes")

• Solar Panel System

• Expanded venue size and outdoor seating area

• Refrigeration, water filtration, and composting systems

• Cash register

Support the Women’s Collective of El Astillero by visiting our campaign page.

This fundraiser is being led by Rockflower Youth Advisor and Casa Congo team member Francesca Ward and assisted by Casa Congo volunteers Cobo Alvarez de Toledo, Hannah Rikeman and Bianca Acland. 

Rockflower Integrates with Coinbase to Support Cryptocurrency Donations

Rockflower integrated with Coinbase, a leading cryptocurrency wallet and platform, to allow donors to contribute using the Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin currencies.

By integrating with Coinbase, which is currently used by over 13 million consumers and 48,000 merchants worldwide, Rockflower can accept donations directly from a donor’s digital wallet via desktop or a smartphone.

"Rockflower has recognized crypto as a groundbreaking technology with the potential to not only change charitable giving, but the development and venture philanthropy landscape as a whole ,” said Tine Ward, Founder and CEO of Rockflower. “We will continue to assess how blockchain and cryptocurrencies can be used to ensure that every woman and girl has access to The Five Keys in building prosperous and successful lives."

Crypto-based donations can be made online by visiting www.rockflower.org/invest.

Rockflower Funds Prenatal Health Services in Uganda

As part of the "S.O.U.L Foundation Project" partnership, Rockflower and the S.O.U.L Foundation completed a campaign that will provide prenatal healthcare services to women in Uganda. Prenatal services are targeted at preventing three common delays:

• The delay to seek care

• The delay to reach proper medical services, and

• The delay to access quality care

by expanding:

• Training in critical prenatal and postnatal care, financial and family planning, nutrition, breastfeeding, and positive health behaviors.

• Provision of maternal health classes and ultrasound screenings

• Administration of birthing kits and prenatal vitamins.

The campaign raised funds to provide prenatal healthcare services to 470 women.

Read more about the project on our "S.O.U.L. Foundation Project" partner page and check back for updates on the participants progress.

This Initiative was led by Rockflower Global Ambassadors Emily and Taylor Washburn. Congratulations to Emily and Taylor and the Rockflower / SO.U.L. Foundation team for completing this very successful campaign.

Rockflower Funds Training of Birth Attendants in Guatemala

As part of the "SAVING MOTHERS School of POWHER" partner project, Rockflower and Saving Mothers completed a campaign to support training  of traditional birth attendants (Comadrona) in the rural areas of Guatemala. Project funds will be used to provide training in:

• Clinical knowledge on prenatal care

• Basic obstetric practice, and

• Emergency management

Campaign funds will be used to train 25 Comadora. Each Comadrona has around a 25-year career. We estimate newly trained Comadrona can change the lives of 50,000 Guatemalan women over the next 25 years.

Read more about the project on our SAVING MOTHER School of POWHER" partner page and check back for updates on the participants progress.

This Initiative was led by Rockflower Youth Advisory Board members Hannah Delany and Isabella Ward. Congratulations to Hannah, Isabella, and the Rockflower / Saving Mothers team for completing this very successful campaign.

Expanding Clean Cooking Technology in Nairobi, Kenya

The Mukuru Clean Stoves Project is a collaboration between Rockflower and Mukuru Clean Stoves, a social enterprise that produces affordable, clean-burning cook stoves in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Mukuru Cook Stove Project will provide funding to Mukuru Clean Stoves to significantly expand the sale and reach of Mukuru clean-burning cookstove technology through the creation of an innovative "Lease to Own" program. The project would fund:

• The production of 200 clean burning stoves.

• Setting up the Lease to Own" program.

• Training to 200 households in the proper use of clean stove technology.

“Facilitating the transition to clean cooking and heating contributes to fundamental development benefits, including improving people’s health, reducing air pollution, and enabling mothers to spend more time with their families and pursue economic opportunities. The focus now is on scaling up activity through innovative market-based approaches and by mobilizing private financing, and on applying the lessons we have learned from years of engagement in the sector.”

-Riccardo Puliti, Senior Director for Energy and Extractives at the World Bank

Find out more about the Expanding Clean Cooking Technology fundraising campaign.

The Expanding Clean Cooking Technology campaign will be led by Rockflower Youth Advisory Board member Elisabeth Hardardt.

Eliminating Poverty Through Entrepreneurial Training of Young Women

80% of Kenyans live in rural areas, where unemployment is high and access to financial services limited. In Kisumu county, formal financial inclusion stands low at 25% in rural areas where women and youth are marginalized the most. Although a growing number of financial institutions are working to promote the growth of small businesses, often they do not lend to women for lack of entrepreneurial skills.   

Rockflower partnered with Jiwo Paro, a community based organization working to eliminate poverty by expanding access to capital, education, and entrepreneurial opportunities for women and youth in resource impoverished areas in Kenya. Entrepreneurship training will allow participants to join a network of fellow entrepreneurs from whom they will continue to curate their business and financial management skills.

Support the Kisumu County Women Entrepreneurship Project by visiting our campaign page.

The campaign is led by Rockflower Youth Advisory Board Members Lulu Ward and Connor West.

Rockflower Welcomes Emily Chandler and Taylor Washburn as Global Ambassadors

Rockflower's Global Ambassadors advance the cause of empowering women around the world by supporting Rockflower partner projects as well as visiting partners and providing feedback.

We are happy to welcome our first Global Ambassadors, Emily Chandler and Taylor Washburn.

Emily and Taylor's first project will be raising funds for Rockflower's partnership with the S.O.U.L. Foundation to empower women to deliver with dignity in rural Uganda.

In addition to spearheading a fundraiser for the S.O.U.L Foundation Project, Emily and Taylor plan to visit S.O.U.L and report on the impact of the funding as a way to celebrate their upcoming marriage and use their honeymoon as a practical and useful experience. 

Rockflower Partners with S.O.U.L Foundation on Maternal Health Project

Rockflower is pleased to announce a new partnership with the S.O.U.L Foundation, a community-based organization in Uganda focused on education, women's empowerment, food security, and maternal health.

Rockflower's partnership with S.O.U.L will support the empowerment of women to deliver with dignity in rural Uganda.

Find out more about the S.O.U.L Foundation Project. 

Bringing Alternative Fuel Source From Biomass to Kasese Uganda

As part of a new partnership with Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI), Rockflower invested in the launch of a Bio Briquette initiative in Kasese, Uganda.

Rockflower's partnership with RUGLI will support the production of biomass briquettes made from agro-waste and household by-products as an alternative to fuel charcoal and fuel wood.

The investment will be targeted at achieving the following objectives:

• Add value to agro-waste and household by-products that would otherwise end-up unused, causing local waste pollution.

• Increase the utilization of biomass resources in developing and promoting more efficient and cleaner fuel substitutes.

• Replace the use of wood and charcoal fuels, which is a major cause of deforestation and environment degradation.

In addition, 200 families from four villages will be trained in the treatment of biomass as a source of income and the use biomass briquettes as an alternative heating and cooking fuel.

Read more about the Bio Briquette Project and stay tuned for updates on participant progress.