On Friday the 1st of April, in Madrid we launched the new Maasai collection from Pikolinos in the presence of William Kikanae, Maasai leader, and the international model Adriana Karembeu. At the ceremony the Massai Leader stressed the importance of “having given the Maasai women a leading role in the development of the Community and he went on to convey his appreciation for the sustainable development projects which are organised over the course of time that respect their culture”.
Adriana Karembeu, the Project’s Image for France, admitted how “pleasantly surprised she was to discover how a Spanish firm had changed the outlook of cooperation policies with developing countries, giving the Massai women a chance to improve their tribe’s quality of life”.
This is a unique project in which the Massai women embroider the leather shoes and bags with their own traditional designs. It has already helped to improve the quality of life of the whole community; they get paid fair wages, it contributes to the community and, in a joint venture with other organisations, a school has been built for more than 400 children right in the heart of the African savannah.
Pikolinos furthers its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility with this second “Maasai Collection” that is made up of slip-ons, sandals and bags which are available in international points of sale for the first time ever. This project is another example of the company’s determination to help the needy and pioneer in its quest to develop fair trade. Moreover, all the profits made from selling these shoes go towards development projects in the Maasai Mara.
Thanks to this project, the women from this community are able to earn a salary for the first time in their lives. This is something that only men are entitled to in many other places in Africa. Furthermore, the type of work that they are doing actually lets them preserve their culture and life style (the Massai tribe is in danger of extinction according to the United Nations). This project has already provided more than 1000 Massai families with a stable source of income giving them access to basic commodities such as food or medicine.
Pikolinos’ idea to market an ethnic line of shoes comes from its work with ADCAM (Association for Development, Alternative Commerce and Micro-credits), which is an association that promotes social projects in different parts of the world and specialises in education, women and micro credits.
We presented the Maasai Collection with Adriana Karembeu