When was the last time a total stranger did something kind for you? Or maybe you witnessed a random act of kindness between two people who didn't know each other - just because it’s the right thing to do?

Chances are, it made your day.

The funny thing is that nowadays, we rely on complete strangers for pretty much everything in our lives:

From your favorite Netflix series, your breakfast this morning, the tea you’re sipping, the phone or laptop you’re reading this on right now, to the clothes you wear.

Our lives are powered by the work of others. By people we may never meet, yet touch our lives in exceptional ways.

Before I started SukkhaCitta I never wasted a thought where most of the products in my life came from - let alone who made them. Why am I telling you this?

It’s easy to take the work of all these 'strangers' for granted. To forget, in everyday’s busyness, that our choices have a real impact on the invisible women who made it for you.

And this really matters. Because just like the most random act of kindness can make your day, an accumulation of kind choices can completely change someone’s life.

It’s what happened to Ibu Tur. 

She was one of the first women who joined our program. 6 years ago, she was a housewife whose only option was to help out in others’ farms as a day labourer. Earning less than $2 a day, she was barely making ends meet.

Today, she just completed her level 3 artisan certification in Rumah SukkhaCitta. She makes 2x the regional minimum wage. And her son is currently one of the first children in her village to be studying in university.

An education that she now can afford because of you.

And there's more. No longer in survival mode, she has now applied to become a teacher in our school. Passing on her ancestral craft and helping more young women get access to the same opportunity she received.

Do you know how many people are involved to make one #MadeRight shirt - from farm to closet? Twelve.

That’s 12 families just like Ibu Tur’s who can now receive a living wage. Thanks to people like you who are using their choice to create opportunities for others.

In fact, this is the heart of our recent B Corporation and Ethically Handcrafted certifications. Verifying our claims and compliance with 100+ rigorous standards to ensure that genuine impact is stitched into your clothes, from no child labor to checking wage data to ensure we’re doing what we say we’re doing.

No smoke. No mirrors. No greenwashing.

Because you deserve to know where your money goes. And again: None of this would be possible without you. The stranger making an Ibu’s day 🙂

Thank you for choosing change,

D

PS: Happy Women’s Day! Why don’t you let another woman know how much she means to you / inspires you. Kindness is not only for strangers after all ;)

PPS: Third party certifications are a lot of work, but it gives you certainty that the company you’re supporting is actually living up to their promises beyond buzzwords. Nerd more about ours here.