In Kichwa, a minga is when neighbours come together to build something for everyone. Every gift here is part of one. Made in a community. Paid to the maker. Building their own goal.
New · The planner
An undated planner for people building something good. Three wins a day, one question a week, one thread a month, with photographs from the communities we work with.
Also in Spanish: El Hilo.
NewThis Christmas · Funamos
On 30 December, every Funamos player gets a ball of their own, name already on the tape. Give one, or sponsor 35 and put your company’s name on them.
Sponsorship closes 1 December.
£20a ballGifts of Elevation · This Christmas
Yes, you can gift a cow. Or goats for the herd, or kit for the league. Give a grain or the whole thing, with a card for someone you love.
Every gift moves a goal the community chose.
£10a grainThese gifts lighten the load of the day to day, so each community can keep its eyes on the big picture.
You don’t have to buy the whole cow. Together, we each add a grain of sand. A grain is £10, and every one counts: for the big dreams, like water for a whole community, and the everyday ones, like a football kit, so no child goes without. Each gift is something a community chose. You get a card to give, and when the goal is reached, the community buys it locally.
From a football kit to water for the dry season.
One grain or a handful. Every one moves the goal.
Illustrated or Christmas, with your message, ready to send or print.
Collection 01
Things communities asked for, from a football kit to water for a school. £10 a grain, ready to give today, with a card for the person you love. How it works
Gift voucherA ball of their own for a Funamos player, and the last payment on their club's place in the league.
Gift voucherYes, really. Cattle sit at the heart of Maasai life, and growing the herd is on the community's own list.
Gift voucherKit, boots, shin pads and a bag for a Funamos player. Kids grow so fast, and on the pitch we are all one.
Gift voucherGoats for the community herd. Wealth on four legs.
Gift voucherEvery community
A laptop, phone or camera, plus data, so every community can learn, create and sell online.
Gift voucherKenya + Colombia
Eggs this week. Income next month.
Gift voucherTools and a paid day's work keeping the forest trails open.
Gift voucherBeads and materials for the women making Maasai beadwork. Every colour means something.
Gift voucherFeeders that bring the hummingbirds in, so visitors can see them and the reserve can keep count.
Gift voucherCamera traps that watch the forest day and night, so the reserve can record its wildlife and spot threats early.
Gift voucherFabric and thread for the Amaya collection, cut and sewn by hand in Ghana.
Gift voucherSewing machines, industrial and electric, for Amaya's training centre in Ghana, where makers learn the trade and every piece is cut and sewn.
Gift voucherFirst, repair the school borehole and water tower, so the school, families and livestock have water through the dry season.
Our digital products are built to keep earning for the community between visits.
Collection 02
Handmade pieces and digital products, launching one community at a time. Tap Notify me and we'll tell you the day it's live.
Handmade
HandmadeEvery colour means something. Made by women in the community.
DigitalPrepared fique, a needle and a step-by-step guide sent to your door, with video lessons online and a card on what weaving means to the Kankuamo.
Walton-on-Thames, UKPieces by our artisans, including Maasai beadwork from Kenya and work from Colombia, are on the shelves at Amaya for Africa's shop in Walton-on-Thames.
Letitia takes no cut. Every penny from these pieces goes to the maker. It's her way of backing the School of Elevation and the collective.
The Heart Shopping Centre, New Zealand Avenue, Walton-on-Thames KT12 1GH
Mesa Madre
In any language, any culture, any community. So we made recipe books. Together. Each one comes from a community's own kitchen: their recipes, their stories, their words. Some of the first digital products we've built with them, and every download helps turn what they know into an income.
Elevating lives is a mindset. So every Monday for eight weeks, we'll send you one question to make you stop, think and talk about what matters.
Shop by project
Pick a community to see only their gifts and products.
Products and gifts launch one community at a time. Tell us which one and we'll let you know the day it's live.
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