YOUbuy,WEgive
A purchase with a purpose
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THE BOOTS PROJECT

The Rufiji™ APU Boots (Anti Poaching Unit) are comfortable, hardy, and reliable. They were designed by us for use by anti-poaching teams in Africa and so we periodically donate a pair, or pairs, to anti-poaching units in Africa as part of our YOUbuy, WEgive campaign.

These boots are made in South Africa from genuine leather with sturdy rubber soles. Designed with the needs of the APU in mind, they are built for days of walking through rivers and bush. These brave men needed shoes that are comfortable and durable - and these boots go beyond fulfilling those needs - but where did it all begin?

It started with passion: passion for wildlife and the strong desire to protect it. We wanted to help, but couldn't exactly run into the wilderness with guns - so Steve approached the men who could. After meeting with the anti-poaching unit at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and their officer-in-chief, Jabulani Ngubani, we set about designing the Rufiji™ APU Boots with our Rufiji™ shoemaker. By combining a new classic boot style with wildebeest hide, we came up with the prototype for the boots and then we sent the boots to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi to see if they would actually work in the field.

Since then, the boots have undergone thorough testing by APU member, Zenzele Tembe. He walked a total of 480km on patrols in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi before reporting back to us with positive results. According to Zenzele, the boots are 'very suitable to the dry savanna land and are light on the feet'. Tactically, he says the boots are 'ideal as the footprints can be easily concealed'. He says the shoes are 'soft but protect the feet from the rough terrain'. He also noted that they 'dry fast which is ideal for rainy days and walking through rivers'. His feedback inspired us to do more and donate more and we launched the YOUbuy, WEgive initiative to give you, our client, an opportunity to get involved.

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THE THUSK™ PROJECT

Handmade in Africa with the unparalleled care and attention of a team of Zulu grandmothers, Thusk™ knitwear is the safari and winter wool collection with a heart-warming story. Made from sustainably-sourced South African wool, Thusk™ is the natural choice to stay snug when the weather gets chilly.

As a community project in Africa, Thusk™ contributes to community upliftment through YOUbuy, WEgive. This project does good from the moment our team of grandmother knitters lay hands on Thusk™ wool. Many of the knitting group, based in rural KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, are primary caregivers in their families - and this presents a financial burden on this group of elderly ladies. Their meagre government pensions are supplemented by this invaluable additional income - and they are given flexibility to knit when they can around their daily responsibilities. Every Thusk™ purchase makes this community project possible and supports this worthwhile group of ladies through craft.

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THE WONDERBAG PROJECT

The Safari Store teamed up with Wonderbag and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to bring a YOUbuy, WEgive initiative to life. Aimed at empowering local communities and assisting in a small way to stop rhino poaching, this simple concept was also extremely powerful.

For every Mara&Meru™ Safari Voyager Bag sold, we donated a Wonderbag to one of these communities. Each Wonderbag has an embroidered message in the native language of that community along with a USSD code that they can use to safely and anonymously report any suspicious activity relating to poaching. To top that, the Wonderbag team matched our donations, which doubled the impact.

At our first activation, we gave away around 300 bags to a community chosen by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in South Africa for being a hot spot for poachers. At the event, the recipients were told about the wonders of the Wonderbag cooker, rhino poaching, and how to use the USSD code to report any poaching-related activity.

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