Success! Results from our Earth Day Window

After the sales of the designer birds and MOKO bird houses in April, Soil for Life received R4679.40! We came back from the weekend to find the loveliest email waiting in our inboxes letting us know how the money was used. We feel so special to have been a part of Dagmar of MOKO's vision for this beautiful project!

"Your support helps us to create our own ‘Bird Houses’ in the communities where we work – creating little spaces where life can grow once again."

"Our trainers at Soil for Life are currently in their biggest round of training to date – we hope to train around 1000 people this year, which is double the amount of people trained last year. We estimate that this directly affects the lives of another 6000 people, and so step by step we are seeing the spreader of a greener Cape Town with people helping themselves and caring for the environment. The money that you donated will be used to purchase seeds – we initially help all of the people that we train with seeds, and then teach them how to save their own."

The team at Soil for Life

The Making of MOKO's Amazing Birdhouses

Dagmar hard at work

When Dagmar Grimmelikhuysen of MOKO first presented her idea for an Earth Day window, we were immediately captivated by her sketches for the completely unique birdhouse structures that she wanted to create. We had no doubt that her natural enthusiasm and love for what she does would result in the most beautiful window exhibition. The fact that she wanted to donate all the proceeds the the Non-Profit Organisation, Soil for Life, made us glow. We were equally delighted as ten KIN designers eagerly joined the exhibition with their colourful flock of hand-made birds. 

Each structure was carefully planned and assembled by hand by Dagmar. Her designs not only focused on creating exquisite design objects, but also on functional spaces for the birds who are to make them their homes. Size, angle and placement of the openings, space within the structure and durable, interesting materials and ways to hang them were details thoughtfully considered.

Bird houses in the making

Each house was carefully designed, cut, assembled and finished by Dagmar

A Few of the finished houses : (pop into KIN on Kloof before 25th April 2014 to see more!)

Faceted Geometric Houses made by joining together individual pieces wood. They hand on thick strips of white leather.

House with birdie door, with a front perch for cloud-gazing.

Wooden cube house with a crochet cover made from sturdy out-door twine.

The "Weaver's Nest" organically-shaped house hang on a length of thick outdoor rope.

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Soil for Life

"We strive to help people reconnect with the earth, and so we teach as many people as we can how to grow their own food and to care for the earth."

Soil for Life

During the past week you've been hearing us say that the proceeds of the gorgeous MOKO birdhouses and designer-made birds in KIN on Kloof's windows are going to Soil for Life. We want to share a bit more about this amazing initiative that Dagmar Grimmelikhuysen of MOKO introduced us to, and encourage you to have a browse through their own website (here) to see their inspiring achievements and how you can get involved.

Soil for Life is a Cape Town-based non-profit organisation which focuses on teaching people how to care for and build up the soil and grow healthy plants. Their organic food gardening uses low-cost, soil building, water-wise, environmentally friendly technologies in whatever small space is available.

They run hands-on training courses in impoverished communities and provide ongoing support and advice. The practical results are households that can grow nutrient-rich plants and vegetables for themselves, and to sell in their communities - but those who take part in their training also develop a crucial sense of purpose, satisfaction and self-reliance.

Soil for Life

tel : +27 (0)21 794 49 82

email : info@soilforlife.co.za

Follow them on :

Twitter

Facebook

Also have a look at their Home Gardeners Project on GivenGain

World Earth Day Window Exhibition

 

For this year’s “Green Cities” themed World Earth Day, Dagmar Grimmelikhuysen of MOKO, Soil For Life and KIN have worked together to create a fresh display for our Kloof Street store's window boxes. 

Dagmar installing her collection of beautiful bird houses

Ten generous KIN designers have made unique birds and these hang amid MOKO's handmade wooden bird houses above Soil for Life's garden boxes. The bird houses are wonderfully unusual and feature different shapes, textures, techniques and materials.

Begun in 1970, Earth Day has grown to be the world’s largest secular civic observance and this year’s focus, on the need to create sustainable communities, is playfully illustrated with this collection of unique birds and their homes. 

Prince planting the lush window boxes created by Soil for Life

KIN is proud to be the platform for the collaboration’s message and all proceeds from the sales of the bird houses and the birds will go directly to Soil for Life to support their township gardens initiative.

World Earth Day is on 22nd April 2014 and our Earth Day window exhibition will run from 28th March to 24th April.

All birdhouses by MOKO

Birds created by : Belinda Ormond, Chasteau de Balyon, Font and Heart, Gillian Fuller, Head On Design, Henri Kuikens, Inge Marais, Nick Marcus, Simple Intrigue, Skaapie

In support of Soil for life: