WHO WE ARE
We started in 2014 with 1 woman, 1 crowdfunding campaign and whole lot of global support – our first ever Tribe project was to support a struggling kids home in the Himalayas. Our founder Bobbi raised over $5000 within 4 weeks, providing 55 kids with winter jackets, shoes, underwear, backpacks and sanitary napkins.
The success of this first project solidified Tribe of Lambs, Bobbi was joined by Phil and the journey began. Since then we’ve supported over 500 kids across India, raised over $85k and centered Tribe’s support on a cause we’re deeply passionate about – support children born HIV+.
WHY HIV?
India has the third largest HIV epidemic in the world – where approximately 2.1 million people are living with the virus, and about 170,000 of those people are children under the age of 15.
Due to lack of knowledge about the disease, many of these HIV+ children either lose their parents, due to death or abandonment, or their families are simply unable to provide the necessary care.
Furthermore, government orphanages in India do not accept HIV+ children, resulting in begging, prostitution, child labour & unstable street life in order to survive.
Government schools are regularly denying admission or segregating HIV+ children in the classroom, reinforcing the already rampant fear & stigma surrounding the disease & denying these children the right to education without discrimination.
“….the most common outcome is either the child watching their parents eventually develop AIDS and pass away, or the child is ostracized by their parents for having HIV and left to fend for him or herself on the streets.”
OUR SOLUTION
In 2016 we partnered with Rays Home in Jaipur – an NGO who work solely for the care, education & rights of children that are infected or affected by the HIV virus.
Together we define areas that Tribe of Lambs can fund to support their work, support the children and relieve financial constraints.
Our projects focus on:
- Funding education through tuition, school supplies, uniforms & transport
- Creating safe places for learning, growth & development
- Providing access to facilities & resources required to build bright futures
- Awareness initiatives in Canada, UK & India
Helping to create bright futures for HIV positive kids
HOW WE DO IT
Raising funds is the goal!
We’re previously known for our jewelry (designing, producing and selling ethically made silver jewelry and using the profits to fund our projects), however after careful consideration we’ve decided to focus our time and resources solely on our charitable efforts. Streamlining our energy into fundraising and connecting the world with our beneficiaries means we can do more, raise more funds and provide sustainable support for the HIV+ children we work with.
We visit our partner home, Rays, every year to reconnect with the kids and discuss our support for the next financial year and our long term goals.
We believe in clear, tangible financial goals with full transparency – we like to know exactly where our money is going, and we believe you should too. Our projects are initiated by the needs of our partner home, and targets are set by the exact requirements of each individual child supported.
To see our live projects for this year and areas you can support, visit our Donate by Project page.