Thirsty Clothing was born at the end of 2021 in the Netherlands. They are a sustainable clothing brand designed for environmentally conscious people who like to stand out from a crowd and express their values through the clothes they are wearing. They are thirsty for offering quality garments made out of eco-friendly materials and providing abstract, unique designs. Raising social and environmental awareness around the globe is an important part of their value proposition. All of their collections target various social or environmental issues that are often overlooked. Their first collection targets one of the worst environmental tragedies caused by human actions - the Aral Sea. Additionally, Thirsty Clothing ensure safe working conditions in the sewing rooms we collaborate with. Last but not least, they contribute to improving the lives of people who need it the most. 

The Thirsty Clothing brand makes an impact by working towards multiple SDGs through partnerships with organizations having a global impact. Recently, the clothing company have partnered up with Just a Drop to donate 5% of the revenue of each product to support Boys’ Secondary School in Mwingi, Kenya to help the community build a water harvesting tank and make hygiene training possible. Thanks to this we can improve the lives of more than 650 students and school staff. Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote “Be the change you wish to see in the world” summarizes not only the impact we are making through our partnership with Just a Drop but our venture’s approach to doing business as a whole.

Thanks to Thirsty Clothing, Just a Drop are working in St. Augustine Mwingi School in the arid Kitui County in Kenya, to support 688 children with safe clean water through the provision of a rainwater harvesting tank.

Before we started working at the school, they did not have a supply of water and so were forced to buy water into the school, taking away the precious money they have for the students. Often the water that they bought in to the school was unclean and has been collected from the river which means that cases of stomach problems and other water related complications were often reported by students.

Japheth is a student in the school, he said: 

“The school has been running out of clean water for drinking.

We are forced to drink the boreholes water available which is at times coloured and drinking it may bring health complications, the existing water points are few and not enough to serve the big student population, sometimes students lack water for basic things like for washing and taking shower because of the congestion and struggle at the water points.”

Now the situation is changing... 

With the support of Thirsty Clothing, we are working with the local self-help group to construct a rainwater harvesting tank which will provide safe water for the whole school all year round. During the rainy season the tank harvests rain collected from the roof of the school, enabling the children and teachers to access to year-round water. The tank will be decorated with positive hygiene messages to reinforce good handwashing practices.

Just a Drop will also construct handwashing stations across the school grounds, and work with the school to form a Health Club. Led by a teacher, the members of the Health Club become ambassadors of handwashing, encouraging their peers to wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating, whilst also leading peer-to-peer learning sessions.

Having access to clean water and handwashing facilities enables the community to protect itself from Coronavirus by slowing the spread of the virus and stopping transmission. In addition to this, by having access to clean water close to their homes and in their school, children will no longer be forced to queue for their turn at the borehole; limiting their need to visit crowded areas where transmission of the virus is likely.

As with all Just a Drop projects, sustainability is key. Each of our projects are designed to benefit the children and their community long-term – the tanks will last for many years and the community are taught how to fix it if it breaks. Local ownership is vital to this sustainability. We work with communities to identify the most appropriate solutions for their needs and then throughout the project, indeed, the communities themselves will be responsible for the building and maintenance of the facilities.

If you'd like to find out more about Thirsty Clothing and how you can support this project, please visit their website: https://thirsty-clothing.com/