Sartorial Saturday: The Uniform Project

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Who says fashion and charity don't mix? On Sartorial Saturday's I'll be bringing you the most charitable fashion on the interweb! And who better to kick things off than The Uniform Project.

1 Dress, 365 days and so far $14,105 donated to The Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots non-profit founded in Mumbai in 1990 through the volunteered efforts of college students devoted to bringing education to children living in the slums.

If you think wearing one dress all year would be dull, The Uniform Project proves it is anything but. Every day Sheena is allowed to 'reinvent' the dress with accessories, layers and other adornments. Check out the pics on flickr - you'll be inspired!

You can contribute by donating something fabulous to be worn with the dress or by making a donation to Akanksha.

Duffy Books in Homes

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If you have an interest in NZ Literature (and movies) than you will more than likely have heard of Alan Duff. He's the author of Once Were Warriors (among other works). He set up the Alan Duff Charitable Foundation after a visit to Camberley School in Hastings, New Zealand in 1992. He found that the majority of those children came from bookless homes and showed little, if any, interest in reading.

The idea behind Duffy Books in Homes is to inspire a love of books and reading in children so that they grow into adults who inspire a love of reading.

The philosophy behind the programme is simple - to break the cycle of 'booklessness'. Kids who can't read become adults who can't communicate and that's a serious disadvantage in a world that operates on the written word.

The Books in Homes programme was officially launched in 1995 with 80 schools, 16,000 students and 14 sponsors, and has grown to encompass 558 schools, over 100,000 students and 182 sponsors in 2009. Its success has inspired offshoot programmes in the Pacific Islands, Australia and the USA.

Duffy kids are given 5 books a year, which they choose themselves from the Books in Homes catalogue. It costs around NZ$50 to provide a Duffy kid with all the services that the Books in Homes programme provides. You can donate here - your support of this great literacy project makes all the difference!

Room to Read

"Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship "

- Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General

Its International Literacy Day on September 8th. So between now and then I'll be highlighting efforts to improve literacy and education around the world.

Why is literacy so important? In a letter to G-8 leaders, Mary Robinson, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Mohammad Yunus wrote: "Without skills such as literacy, numeracy and problem-solving, millions of children and adults are trapped in poverty. Education is the key to unlocking inter-generational deprivation as it offers the knowledge people need to live healthy, happy lives."

First up is Room to Read. Room to Read is dedicated to promoting and enabling global education. Founded in 2000, the organisation is based on the belief that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty in the developing world. Since then, the organization has supported over three million children by providing better access to higher-quality educational opportunities. Room to Read has established more than 700 schools and over 7,000 bilingual libraries with five million books, and continues to support the education of nearly 7,000 girls. Room to Read is providing opportunities that change children's lives and communities throughout Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia. By 2010, Room to Read hopes to improve literacy for five million children by establishing over 10,000 libraries and distributing nearly nine million children's books.

Find out how YOU can get involved and support Room to Read today!

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Help Fund College Scholarships with the Juanita Fields Foundation

Image by my_new_wintercoat via FlickrThe Juanita Fields Foundation is a family foundation whose goal is to assist others with furthering their education. The money they raise is used to provide college scholarships.

You can help them by shopping at any of the 700+ online stores in the iGive network. Every time you do a portion of the money you spend benefits the Juanita Fields Foundation - and it doesn't cost you a cent. Its a completely free service - so you will never pay any extra when you reach a store through iGive. You can also help by searching the web through iSearchiGive.com.