Giving back
The Better Future Collective.
Yonder is a female-founded brand, and Jaipur has been part of our story from the start. It's home to our small, family-run factory and the artisans who hand block-print so much of what we make - people we've come to know well over the years. So supporting the girls growing up in that same city is something we'd wanted to do for a while - and this year, through the Better Future Collective, we've begun sponsoring some of them.
A morning at Sneh Girls Shikshan Sansthan, Jaipur.
The Better Future Collective is a group of like-minded brands working in India, pooling what they can to do some real good. Its focus is education - and specifically, the girls of Luniyawas, a disadvantaged area of Jaipur. Working alongside Sneh Girls Shikshan Sansthan, a school offering free, safe and genuinely good education, the Collective helps more girls get the learning they deserve. Too often, girls are kept out of school by responsibilities at home, or simply a lack of support. This partnership is here to help change that.
Sponsors, known rather wonderfully as "Aunties" and "Uncles," commit to supporting a girl's education for a year - covering the essentials like tuition, food, uniform and school supplies, so she can come to school safely and without interruption.
The Collective was founded by Daisy Fellowes of Kapara London, who has lived and worked in Jaipur for over a decade, side by side with Ramesh, the founder of Sneh Girls Shikshan Sansthan. That on-the-ground relationship is a big part of why this was such an easy decision for us. It's a real, well-established partnership with people who know the school and the community first-hand - not a one-off donation.
As a brand that works in Jaipur, it felt like the natural way to give back to a community that gives us so much.
This isn't a percentage at the checkout, or something we switch on and off with sales - we fund it ourselves, and we're committed to it either way. But it's our work in Jaipur that makes it possible, so every time you choose something hand block-printed there, you're quietly part of it too.
It's the same care that runs through everything we make here, too - working closely with the local block-print artisans and the family-run factory behind our pieces.
Meet the girls we're sponsoring
Three bright girls at Sneh Girls Shikshan Sansthan (SGSS), each with a year of school ahead of them.
Anjali
Lively and full of energy, Anjali loves to dance and dreams of becoming a dance teacher one day. Maths is her favourite subject. Her family faces real financial hardship, and school has given her somewhere her confidence and hope can grow.
Palak
Palak joined SGSS alongside her older sister, who's in the same class. She's a determined learner, building her reading and writing from the ground up with the patience and extra support the school gives her. Home has been difficult, and school offers her steadiness, and a sense of what's possible.
Deepika
Deepika's name means "light." Quiet by nature, she's slowly finding her voice through the school's activities and encouragement. Her father supports the family selling vegetables door to door, and for all the challenges at home, Deepika stays eager to learn, with her eye on a brighter future.
Find out more
Curious about the partnership, or thinking about becoming an Auntie or Uncle yourself? We'd love to hear from you - drop us a line and we'll tell you everything.
Get in touch Or read more about the Better Future Collective on Instagram @kaparalondon