Giving back has always been a part of 24Slides’ DNA. Our mission as a company is to empower people in emerging markets, and in turn, help them make a positive impact in their communities.
That’s why in 2021, we launched the 24Volunteer program. Through this initiative, we wanted to enable our employees to work on their own charitable projects, and support local communities by giving them our most valuable asset: our people.
24Sliders have risen up to the challenge, and aside from the wide-range projects, like the Global Challenge and #the24Walk, they have come up with some amazing initiatives on their own.
In December 2022, our colleagues from Indonesia decided to use the 24Volunteer program to go a step further in our partnership with YPAC, a foundation that supports children with disabilities in Malang.
As a non-profit organization, YPAC is always in need of funds to help support the children they take care of. And our amazing colleagues from Malang found a way to make this possible!
The planning
Over 25 of our colleagues in Malang answered the call to help YPAC collect funds. Together, they organized and launched an event meant to sell preloved items, and give the resulting earnings to YPAC and the children.
It was an amazing initiative that didn’t only show an incredible amount of kindness and generosity, but the way every single 24Slider embodies the values of the company. Together, we try to support the sustainable development goals of the UN, and through events like this, we heartfully believe we can make a difference in reducing poverty and inequality in the communities around us.
Even better, this initiative also had a great environmental impact, as it also aimed to create awareness and educate people on waste management. Millions of tons of clothes are wasted every year and thrown away on a yearly basis. By recycling and reusing second-hand clothes, we can also help reduce the impact of cloth waste on the environment.
For over 8 weeks before the event, our colleagues worked hard and generously spent their time and energy to plan the event. They not only collected the items themselves, but also sorted them, tagged them, and found a venue to hold the sale event.
Together, they collected 300+ preloved items that were ready to be sold for the benefit of YPAC children.
The event
Baegopa House of Hungry, a café in Malang, generously allowed us to use their space freely to sell the collected items. Our colleagues worked days before the event to prepare the venue and decorate it for December 17th.
Our 25 colleagues attended the event and took care of selling the preloved items, as well as collecting other donations. It was exhausting, but it was all worth it. Especially when the beneficiaries, the YPAC children, arrived at the venue. It not only allowed people to get a clear understanding of who they were helping out, but the children also participated in a second-hand clothes decorating workshop.
This event was also a great opportunity for other foundations and NGOs to showcase their initiatives and get more awareness. Some of the NGOs who participated were iLitterless, a waste management organization; Kolektif Plastik, an organization focused on upcycling litter; and Lakshmee Indonesia, an initiative to upcycle textiles with eco-friendly coloring.
Together, we worked hard to make the event a success!
The results
In the end, by selling the preloved items collected, our team managed to raise IDR 3,220,000 in direct donations. And, aside from these funds, we donated an additional IDR 2,700,000+ in in-kind donations.
With these donations, we are supporting the development of a prevocational and sensory class for YPAC children to give them a better future.
We hope that this event helps not only to support YPAC but also to create more awareness about this type of organization and its needs, as well as environmental issues.
We’re extremely proud to have people in 24Slides willing to commit, plan and execute this kind of charitable event. This is exactly the kind of initiative that 24Volunteer was implemented for, and we’re excited to give our employees the opportunity and facilities to show their generosity and incredible hearts.
