Give a Man a Fish and Feed Him For a Day…

Teach a Man to Fish and Feed Him For a Lifetime…

 

The People's Princess Charitable Foundation, Inc. (PPCF) announces its partnership with The Ol Malo Trust. This creative initiative is dedicated to the development of economic skills through art for tribal women and children in Samburuland, Kenya.

 

Born of the devastating 1999-2000 drought in Kenya, The Ol Malo Trust was established to enable the starving Samburu women and children to recognize economic benefit from their cherished ancestral beads. 

 

”The origin of this project truly touched my heart,” said Maureen Rorech Dunkel, Founder and CEO of PPCF a Florida based 501©3.  PPCF was formed to oversee the global tour of the royal dresses once belonging to the late Diana Princess of Wales.  For the past nine years PPCF has used its beautiful collection of royal costume to do beautiful things for the less fortunate. By partnering with The Ol Malo Trust, our organization continues its mission of using “beautiful things to do beautiful things” for others.

 

“I met the founder of The Ol Malo Trust during a recent visit with my family to East Africa,” explains Rorech Dunkel.  “I was moved by the beauty of the hand-beaded home accessories being made by tribal women under a thatched roof hut on The Ol Malo Ranch.  When Julia Francombe, daughter of the ranch’s owner and founder of The Ol Malo Trust explained her motive for starting the project, I was overwhelmed by her passionate commitment to teach sustainable skills to these women so they would never be in the same position they were in during the devasting drought.”

 

Nomadic cattle ranchers, the Samburu tribe inhabits Eastern Kenya with its population close to 450,000.  During the drought over 80% of the tribe’s cattle perished and the men of the Samburu tribe took the remaining cattle to find watered grounds.  Left with little food, the women and children faced death after several months and approached The Ol Malo Ranch for assistance.  Understanding that the preservation of pride would be paramount to future relations, Julia Francombe offered food for beads to the starving Samburu women who had walked for days with their children to the ranch.  Within days of the offer over 1, 0000 women walked to the ranch through the bush and brought their treasured beads and exchanged them for sacks of cornmeal. “I was even more impressed with the next step Julia took” said Rorech Dunkel.  “She taught the women how to make beautiful hand-beaded jewelry and home accessories from their prized beads.  The outcome is worthy of Bergdorf Goodman or Neiman Marcus.  I was committed to do whatever I could to help her when I returned to the states.”

 

Rorech Dunkel immediately set up Ol Malo USA benefiting The People’s Princess Charitable Foundation and The Ol Malo Trust. “When the art pieces are ordered, women at The Ol Malo Ranch custom produce each piece keeping them gainfully employed and earning important dollars to buy food and medical services for their families. A single order for a large hand-beaded lampshade will keep a woman gainfully employed for almost 10 days”, Rorech Dunkel explained. 

 

“I firmly believe that for the foreseeable future two things will continue to exist.  People will continue to purchase goods and enjoy shopping and, unfortunately, there will still be people somewhere in the world who are in need.  If I can build a platform that helps one group while fulfilling the consumer demand of another then I’ll feel I’m using my business skills in a way that is in line with God’s purpose for my life.” 

 

The Ol Malo Trust is a registered charity and has grown to provide medical, educational and community support to the Samburu tribes of Northern Eastern Kenya.  The Samburus remain nomadic tribal people living the same herding lifestyle which has been unchanged for hundreds of years.

 

Ol Malo USA will be available through leading upscale retailers in the United States and an international network of the world’s finest interior designers.

 

For more information on Ol Malo USA, contact Teresa Dunn (813) 482-6659.