January 17, 2015

"Moeloco" Dream Crazy

Most of you know I'm all for a good cause and a strong believer in helping those in need, where you can and when you can; whether it be through donations, volunteering or fundraising. I've previously written a post about my work with Oz Harvest and my joy of volunteering with them, which you can read here


So, when I heard about a new social enterprise in Australia, here in Sydney, that recently started I just knew I had to share this with you and support this local inspiring organisation. So what did I do? Well, in true Jo style, I went direct to the source! 

I contacted Kathy Wong, the Founder and CEO (Chief Energy Officer) of Moeloco - Good 4 Your Sole. I was lucky enough to ask her some questions but before I get into those, let me share a little of Moeloco with you. They design thongs (aka flip flops) with inspirational words on the sole of them so when you're walking in them on the beach the words are imprinted into the sand leaving lovely messages behind you for others to see, smile and be inspired by.



However, what I truly love about Moeloco is that it has gone one step further; they have built the foundation of parallel giving. What does this mean? It simply means that for every pair of Moeloco thong purchased, Moeloco will provide a pair of school shoes to a child in India as part of The Hope Foundation. Simple! You buy a pair and a child receives a pair of shoes - It's a win/win situation for everyone. 



There are over 300 million children without shoes and just by providing these children with a pair of shoes means that you'll assist them with attending school; it's amazing how a pair of shoes can help and encourage a child with attending school. Something that we, Australians, take for granted everyday. I remember when I attended school, there was never a thought about not attending because I didn't have shoes but for these children, it matters.

As I mentioned above I was very lucky to have the opportunity to ask Kathy a few questions about Moeloco:


WHAT DOES "MOELOCO" MEAN?

Moeloco is a combination of two words used to create its name. "Moe" is derived from the Hawaiian word Moehani, meaning "dream" and "loco" is latin for "crazy". Dream Crazy!

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PUT INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES ONTO THE THONGS/FLIP FLOPS?


There were a few reasons. I wanted a product that was something everyone easily recognised and had mass market appeal on a global scale (Dream Crazy). I knew that for me to have a maximum social impact I need to sell lots of product and I felt the flip flop could allow me to do this.


In Australia, the average Aussie has 5 pairs of flip flops. The shoes are also a great vehicle for my story. Here we are in western countries never thinking about shoes; its a given. We just have them, however, in India there are children who will never wear, have or own a pair of shoes in their life and some are dying from the consequences of not having shoes. 

Flip flops usually conjure up positive, good times, holidays, relaxation, the beach and this is a very different, almost polar opposite meaning for these children. From a creative perspective it's a wonderful surface area to work with for inspirational quotes. Moeloco is about inspiring people to chase those seemingly impossible big dreams and in doing so they will naturally make a difference as they affect others with their energy.

HOW DO THE CHILDREN RECEIVE THEIR SHOES?

Hope Foundation makes the decision of which areas of care they feel need the shoes the most at the time we are donating. Moeloco are also jointly being as fair as possible and distributing the shoes over several groups at a time.

WHAT'S ONE INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE YOU LIVE BY AND WHY?

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Because it's only that which will create change. It's the only difference between a change-maker and one who just thinks about change. The change-maker thinks and then does.

AS YOU "DREAM (BIG) CRAZY", WHERE DO YOU HOPE MOELOCO WILL BE IN 5-10 YEARS?

I hope Moeloco has global communities everywhere that have inspired people to start their own projects to create positive change in the world. We have to eliminate poverty by creating further opportunities that teach people how to rise above poverty through education. 

I'd like to personally thank Kathy for her time and inspiring change into this world. You can find out more about Moeloco by visiting their website www.moeloco.com and you'll be able to purchase a pair of inspiring thongs (they will forever be thongs to me) for yourself and at the same time a pair of shoes to a child in India. 

Jo xo

Note - This is not a sponsored post and nor was I rewarded. I simply believe in good causes.

No comments:

Post a Comment