2010 is already shaping up to be a good year for us! Earlier this month we realized the successful completion of our first initiative. The goal was to generate funding to purchase new school books and supplies for the children of the workers in the factory that make Common Soles flip-flops in Vijayawada, India. Check out the details and photos from this event on our initiatives page.
Dave and I went to visit the all girls school in Purchuru, to learn first hand how the school operates and what initiatives will make the most sense for the school. It was quite an amazing experience. All the children seem so bright and happy to receive an education, and the teachers are so very proud of the school and their students. The girls come from poor families who normally cannot afford to pay for their children education.
The school has been running on donations and noble intentions for the last 24 years. The school is is practically free for the students, they only collect a paltry 25 cents for the whole year from each student. Few donors over the years have been sponsoring teachers fees, children's uniforms, children's books and other necessities for the school. One such distinguished gentleman is Mr.Venkateswarlu (Lu) in this photo with Dave and I.
Dave is on his way back to US. No one would believe that it was his first time to India. He braved the heat, spices, and all the complexities of travel in India with great ease and as any local would do. Kids just loved him where ever we went and some even thought he was Ricky Ponting the pro cricketer from Australia (although Dave isn't so sure about that after looking him up...). Here is a picture of Dave with the kids from Takkar baba colony in Kurla Mumbai.
We took autos and rickshaws where ever we could as that is the best mode of transport to the places that we wanted to go. Here are other pictures of him (and I) during his trip from checking out materials in the streets of Delhi to visiting the all girls school at Purchuru to understand the needs of the children there. We did lots of work while he was here and in the process had tons of fun too. If you talk to him you should definitely ask him about the spice challenge he volunteered for.
I am enroute to India to meet up with Rao who has been hard at work over there on new product and initiaitves for Common Soles. As a result we won't be posting any new blog entries until we return the week of Oct 11th. (I know, you'll miss us...)
The purpose of the trip is to get the next few styles and initiaitves dialed in. A women's flip-flop similar to the picture here, and a men's flop! Each flop will be sold to generate funding to support an initiaitve relevant to the workers that made the flops. Most likely these initiatives will be education related. The plan is to have these new styles available later this fall! Wish us luck and please bear with us these next two weeks as Lisa is running the show here in the US by herself until Oct 11th.
I love learning. I didn't until I graduated from college, I then realized how wonderful the gift of education is. How could I appreciate it? I didn't know any other life until then. So when I decided to go back to grad school in 2006 it was with great respect for the educational system, and drive to once again - learn.
One of the greatest things I took away from business school was a deeper understanding of organizations role in society. Recently, Leonard Schlesinger, Babson's new President articulated this learning I took away very succinctly in the school's new strategy.
Rao is in India right now and I plan to join him in a couple weeks to finalize some new products we are working on. A casual women's flop and our first men's flop!
The new flip-flops will feature some unique styling distinct to the region of India (Vijayawada) that the flops are bring crafted. Rao has been beating the streets in search of materials to incorporate in the flops. The common design element for these will be in the straps, and since silk is a popular fiber used in this region we’re 
experimenting with different designs. Silk is also strong, comfortable, and environmentally smart!
The photo we currently have posted on our home page was taken at one of the schools we are helping to fund via the sale of our flip flops. The school is The Amanchi Narasimham & Venkata Subbamma Girls High School, located in Paruchuru, Prakasam District in Andhra Pradesh, India (see map below).