Corporate Partners
Small Steps Project does not receive any government funding. We rely entirely on the generocity of public donations, which pays for the aid we distribute. So the support we recieve from companies makes a huge difference; it enables us to create sustainable projects that get more children off dumps and into education- now and in the long term.
We profoundly thank the following companies for their incredible support. Without it we simply would be unable to care for so many children, or plan to help even greater numbers.
The Royal Society of Medicine has supported the project in many aspects of its development in both advisory and practical roles. The Global Health Department has offered the project advice and support as it has grown from a grassroots project into an established charity.
Its Global Health Department has assisted us with mentoring and publicity as well us allowing us to use its premises for meetings.
The RSM also allowed us to use its fantastic venue, Number One Wimpole Street to hold our annual fundraiser, film premiere and Celebrity Shoe Auction.
The RSM also exhibited our photography exhibition in their Auchi Foyer which can be seen online on their website here.
The extent to which the RSM has helped the project in all these capacities has had a huge impact on the charity and its development, its support has not only helped us create awareness and learn from its experience and knowledge but allowing us to use its facilities not only to plan but to hold our fundraiser meant that we were able to raise the profile and vital funds for the charity.
Vodafone's World of Difference UK programme gives 500 people the chance to work for their dream charity, and get paid. Over the years we’ve helped hundreds of people donate their skills and experience to the charities of their choice.
For successful applicants the Vodafone Foundation will provide their chosen charity with £2500, with the winner receiving the balance as a salary after NI and tax have been paid. Placements can be full-time for two months or part-time for four months (minimum 15 hours a week).
In 2011 Hannah Hughes won the award for Small Steps Project but there is no limit on how many people apply but each individual may only apply for one charity.
Scott Dunn is a luxury tour operator with 25 years' experience in tailor-made holidays worldwide. Passionate about travel and the destinations in which it specialises, Scott Dunn believes that tour operators have a responsibility to respect and conserve economic, environmental and socio-cultural balances. To maximise the benefits that tourism can bring to a destination, whilst trying to limit the harm to the environment, Scott Dunn set up a charitable fund to support community-based projects in areas of the world that many of its guests visit.
Andrew Dunn, Scott Dunn’s founder commented: “As part of our charitable fund, we are proud to support the Small Steps Project for the first time this year. We believe that in providing the small yet vital items we can all take for granted, the charity really makes a huge difference to the day-to-day lives of children living in poverty.”
Scott Dunn contacted Small Steps Project as their company organises luxury holidays in many of the countries where SSP delivers aid projects and to give something back. They have made an incredibly generous donation so that we can help the poorest communities in those countries. SSP thinks it is fantastic that Scott Dunn really cares about the people in the countries they visit. They also support the project on their website along with several other charities which you can see here.
Scott Dunn has also helped us by sponsoring our next steps of providing nursery provsions and day centres for scavenger and dump children because, "At Scott Dunn we believe that all children enjoy the same simple pleasures, and given a space where they can make new friends, learn new skills and explore their imaginations, they can have experiences they will remember. This is true for the children who use our kids clubs on their holidays and through the donation we have made to Small Steps we hope it can be true for the children who live on the rubbish dumps of Cambodia."
First Mile provides easy recycling and waste collection services for 10,000 businesses in London and Birmingham. We are passionate about recycling and nothing goes to landfill. We achieve very high recycling rates and all of our operations are certified carbon neutral.
Bruce Bratley, First Mile's Founder said: 'First Mile are delighted to support Small Steps and its work to help families living in poverty on landfill sites around the world. We were keen to support a waste related charity and are delighted to support Small Steps with both funding and with our knowledge of waste and recycling. We look forward to working with Small Steps to raise awerness and deliver aid directly and by linking with other NGOs to families living on landfill sites.'
'We have been looking for some time to get involved in a charity that highlights the need for developing countries to address the waste that development brings. We are pleased to be supporting Small Steps because they highlight a growing problem whilst also delivering practical solution.'
The Bongiorno Group opened its doors in 1964 and since then have proudly helped thousands of medical, dental and high net worth individuals grow, manage and protect their wealth. They are one of Australia’s leading financial services organisations.
'At the Bongiorno Group, we know that people make the world go round. That’s why we have always supported the wider community and chosen to be involved in a range of different community initiatives. We believe that Amy’s Small Steps project is an amazing initiative and we are proud to have been able to help her put shoes on the feet of children in Cambodia.'
In 2010, after reading about the very first project in the Australian Press, The Bongiorno group invited and flew Small Steps CEO, Amy Hanson, over to Australia to speak at their New Horizons Conference in Sydney. They then organised the first ever Celebrity Shoe Auction in Melbourne, at the National Gallery of Victoria. Bongiorno were the first company to support the project with their corporate responsibility. They helped in all aspects of the project; creating awareness, raising vital funds, advising and supporting every aspect of what was at the time, a tiny grass roots project. Small Steps Project would not be the charity it is today had the Bongiorno Group not taken the lead in supporting us.
Critical Waste is a sustainable waste management company specializing in clearing up rubbish at festivals and events. They are committed to forward thinking waste strategies and offer their clients “real” recycling solutions in order to help keep events environmentally sustainable and to ensure that their responsibilities are met.
The Critical Waste ethos grew from a grassroots recycling initiative at the heart of the music festival scene and the team is completely passionate about recycling and all things to do with rubbish.
'We had been looking for a charity to connect our work to for a while and were delighted to discover Small Steps Project.
As the generation of all of our waste has become a global issue and Critical Waste’s work puts us right at the coalface of this, (albeit in a safe, harm minimized way), we were very keen to commit help in tackling the problem of global waste and the hazards that this presents.
Critical Waste donates 10% of their revenue generated from the collection of recyclables at events to Small Steps Project. This year we will also be donating thousands of pairs of wellington boots and gloves for SSP distribution projects in Romania.'
Watch Critical Waste's film here and follow their work on Facebook and Twitter.
STA Travel provides discounted flights for volunteers to travel all over the world, helping to get individuals out to countries where they are needed the most.
"Working with Small Steps Project is something we are extremely proud of and we look forward to continuing to help get volunteers out to projects in the future. We have also helped the Small Steps Project staff get out to their destinations as well. If you need to arrange your travel ask the Small Steps Project team for the dedicated contact details for STA Travel."
Solgar are a global company whose mission is to enhance the total health and well-being of consumers. They are very environmentally conscious from their offices to their factories and this year they donated to the Small Steps project in Cambodia and this is what they said:
“Solgar Vitamin and Herb proudly donated a number of food supplements to help poor and disadvantaged families, achieve a deserved high nutritional status. In Western society we can take good nutrition for granted. We hope that providing food supplements through the wonderful charity Small Steps, we can ensure that children have the required nutrients necessary for proper growth and development.”
OptiBac Probiotics is a family-run, UK business focusing entirely on probiotic supplements to help support digestive & immune health. Probiotics are micro-organisms which are thought to be beneficial to the body, and OptiBac focuses on finding specific types and combinations of probiotics, and making a variety of supplements for different health conditions. As a health & wellbeing company they have a strong corporate responsibility profile and make regular donations to wellbeing charities. Read more about them here, or follow them on Twitter @OptiBac.
OptiBac made a generous donation of probiotics which were introduced into the meal time plan for the children in in Cambodia in 2013. OptiBac told us, ‘We were really happy that one of our stockists told us about the Small Steps Project; which we thought looked like a fantastic, and specialised initiative to improve the wellbeing of children living in extreme poverty.’
Malaysia Airlines helped UK charity Small Steps Project on its latest mission to Cambodia, flying out vital vitamins, which are difficult for NGOs to source in the country.
Small Steps Project Director Amy Hanson said, “We are only able to complete such needed humanitarian projects thanks to the goodwill of companies like Malaysia Airlines. Unlike many other charities, no one other than the children we help profit from any donations. The money Malaysia Airlines has allowed us to save on excess baggage simply enables us to be able to purchase more aid for those who really need it.”
Malaysia Airlines’ Area Manager UK and Ireland, Yuzrizal Mohd Yousuf added, “The work that Amy and her team do is hugely important and Malaysia Airlines was delighted to be able to help in our own small way with the latest Small Steps project.”
Lucas Orme is a photographer and videographer. He filmed the third in the series of Small Steps Project documentaries 'Small Steps: Nicaragua'. He also produced the stills images for the Small Steps Project photography exhibition at the RSM and the Annual Fundriaser.
Lucas Orme. 'I was deeply impressed by the work of the Small Steps Project and wanted to contribute my skills to a project outside of the commercial sector. It has been a privilege to provide the footage for the documentary and the stills for the exhibition and helping to raise awareness and funds for children on rubbish dumps around the world.'
Nitty Gritty donated 100 nit combs and bottles of nit solution for our project on the dumps of Nicaragua. They also donated some boots which were distributed to the children working on the dumps.
Plain Jane Events is a creative and passionate events company dedicated to producing exceptional events for anyone that likes to party. working with corporate and private clients alike we can bring your imagination to life anywhere in the world.
Company Director, Alex Smith says, 'SSP is a fantastic charity, young, focused and full of the drive and determination needed to make the world a better place. When we heard about the event at the RSM, we knew it was the ideal way to get involved with the charity and help make a difference. We are so excited we were able to help organise an event that raised so much money for the kids of the dumps and know the money would be going to them directly. Bring on the next one!'
At Humdingers Catering we believe that food made with love tastes better. We are proud to say that we make everything from scratch. Humdingers is all about good hand-made food. We source the best ingredients from local suppliers. Whatever the event – we love doing them all.
You know the old saying ‘The way to a man’s wallet is through his stomach’, We believe that Humdingers food will get people dipping deeper into their pockets at this year's London Celebrity Shoe Auction 2012 and we hope we can continue our support into the future.
Chef and Founder Robert Hunningher says:
'We think Small Steps is a fantastic project and we were really impressed by the hands on approach of the team. We know that any help we give, will directly impact the people being helped by The Small Steps Project. I feel very honored to be asked to be involved in such a great event.'
Muzungu Sisters is an online retail portal that promotes fair labour practices by showcasing artisan-crafted goods from around the world. In their first designer collaboration in aid of a humanitarian organisation, Small Steps Project, Muzungu Sisters’ fuses traditional Italian craftsmanship by Milanese shoe designer Cecilia Bringheli’s CB Made in Italy, with fabric that would have otherwise gone to waste kindly donated by Missoni and upcycled for the project. Muzungu Sisters donates 10% of the sales of each shoe to the Small Steps Project.
As well as supporting the charity with the donations from the shoes. Both the founders, Dana and tatiana also donated their own shoes as well as a signed pair of the designer loafers to the charity's London celebrity Shoe Auction.
Founder Dana Alikhani says, "I first read about the Small Steps project several years ago and was so taken with their work that I knew that once Muzungu Sisters had launched I wanted to collaborate on a project to help raise awareness and funds for their valuable work. Having previously done human rights research and NGO work, it is clear to me that there is a greater need for a rights-based approach to the plight of children living on landfill sites: every child has the right to an education, basic sanitation and the right to be free from dangerous work such as that undertaken on rubbish dumps."
Kapow (a division of Cygnet Internet Services Ltd), was the UK's first SMS Gateway and is still a leader in the market today. They provide high-speed and reliable Global Text Messaging solutions from their London base with services including Standard SMS, Two-way SMS, Premium SMS, Charity Shortcodes and ad-hock development.
Customer Service Director, Hannah Cowles, says: 'We are proud to sponsor The Small Steps Project with access to Charity Shortcodes as this enables them to offer donators an additional easy method for sending the Charity funds. Helping Small Steps really appeals to us as 100% of the donations received by the Charity makes it's way to the children and families who live on Rubbish dumps. What the Charity is doing makes a real difference to peoples lives and has seen children get in to School because they now have shoes which is a requirement. Their work is incredible'.
Hempstead May is a retouching and post-production studio specialising in high-end fashion, beauty photography and art printing.
They retouched and printed the Small Steps Project photography exhibition held in the RSM Auchi Foyer and at the annual fundraising event, the images can be seen here and limited edition prints are available to purchase from the charity.
Thomas from Hempstead May says of the charity, 'It's a rare opportunity for us to get involved with such an important cause so we jumped at the chance to help in this small way. We are just so impressed with the work Amy and her team are doing and we only hope our contribution has enabled them to progress with the charity, even slightly'