DESIGNING FOR THE GIRLS

My t-shirt design for the Fading Ladies

I was recently contacted by a fellow blogger who is an American expatriate living in India. She authors an amazing blog, The Existential Expatriate, about her life there, adapting to the culture and the ups and downs of living on the other side of the world. She and some of her fellow expatriates have formed a charity to help combat some of the social problems and assist the needs of the most downtrodden, unprotected and forgotten in society.

I was asked by Jennifer and The Fading Ladies, as they are called, to design a t-shirt that included the popular "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan, but with a decidedly Indian twist. The inspiration was a photo of Jennifer's daughter, Helen (another popular blogger from Dallas who authors "Monograms and Manicures") atop an elephant during a recent visit to India.

Working with the Fading Ladies has been nothing but a joy and I am so thrilled to be a small part of supporting such a wonderful outreach to homeless and abused little girls. There is so much suffering and abuse in this world and oftentimes women and girls are the most victimized, whether they be on the street or suffering in silence in what appear to be "privileged situations" in life.

It's so wonderful to see these women take it on upon themselves to better the lives of the people in their adopted country and I am 100% behind the Fading Ladies and the charity these shirts will go to support. Here's a little more about it-

The Salaam Balaak Trust runs five 24-hour full care shelters for homeless children, one being devoted to girls.

These shelters provide the children a sense of home and security they lacked while living on the streets.

They aim at restoring the childhood that was lost and teach them independence. Provide education and social values and financial self-dependence to become mature and responsible citizens.

The Arushi shelter in Gurgaon, Haryana is devoted totally to the care of girls.

If you're interested in buying a shirt for a very worthwhile cause, they are available in several colors here.