What Is BLISS?
BLISS exists for one reason - to provide adolescent girls an education while simultaneously lifting them out of poverty through high-fashion.
It enables school attendance for girls who would otherwise be driven by poverty to work full-time
instead.
Before
BLISS, enrolled girls spent 14 hours every day working at carpet looms.
Now, they come to school, learn English, Urdu, and Math as well as
embroidery in a 1-hour skills class. The embroidered fabric is finished into trendy handbags for sale in
global markets. The money goes back to the girls so they can support their families while getting an education - win-win!
You can
view the complete collection of handbags here. AND when you contribute, you can claim your choice of an exquisite handbag from the collection; view perks to find out how!
How We Know It Works
-
BLISS is bringing 30 girls to school in Pakistan, giving them education & practical skills
-
Girls' hourly income has increased by 60% through BLISS, compared to when working full-time
- Attendance rates are now at 90%, higher than ever at these schools
- Our first line of handbags sold out within weeks; we are now struggling to meet demand!
BLISS has also instilled a sense of dignity, pride and self-confidence in the girls. School is now perceived as more fun, relevant and practical.
"BLISS has reduced the burden of education on my father. I love coming to school to study and embroider with other girls!" - Fatima, 14 years old.
How We Can Grow With Your Help
BLISS sold out its first line of handbags in June 2011 in
Pakistan. Dozens more girls want to join and are wait-listed for enrollment.
We
don't have enough bags to meet the demand; and we don't have the funds
to enroll more girls to scale operations!
With the funds from the campaign here, plus matching grants we are raising from investors, we aim to:
- Scale from the current 30 to 120 girls in 2012
- Launch our products in 6 cities - London, Paris, New York, Seattle, Boulder & Nairobi - through a network of female ambassadors, between Feb & Apr 2012
- Launch a financial literacy curriculum for the girls in December 2011
- Design and launch a brand new logo & website, to spread our mission and products globally
The more
handbags produced and sold, the more students BLISS can educate and train - it's a virtuous cycle. $300 keeps 1 girl
in school for 1 year!
A BLISSful Vision
BLISS' vision is that of no girl left behind, of every young girl able to define the
course of her own life. There is no simple or obvious future for millions of young girls without
BLISS - a culturally acceptable solution to a highly intractable problem.
We invite each and every one of you to be part of our BLISS!
Have questions or feedback, or just want to say hello? team@bagsforbliss.org would love to hear from you!
