From dream to action: our story.
It all started on the 7:00 am train that brought us to work every morning in Switzerland. Our train journeys were the rare moments of the day that we could share together and where we could freely discuss our dreams and ambitions.
After long exchanges, we both realized that our jobs and life rhythms were not fully fulfilling. We were spending too little time doing what we really enjoyed. We felt that we could accomplish something great, and above all have more impact and meaning in our lives.
One day, we made the decision that would change everything: stop dreaming, and start acting!
Our first action was to go and live in South Africa for 5 months. Why ? To have time, space, to enjoy fantastic new landscapes, climate and culture, to let our creativity express itself.
During a walk on the tourist beach of Camps Bay, a child asked us for a drink. We gave him our water bottle. The joy expressed by this child following this act was the trigger.
The second step was to reflect and develop a professional project full of meaning and impact, where we could act not only for our own well-being, but also for that of others. But what kind of project could accomplish these objectives ?
After yet another reflection, we found the high-impact project we wanted to create!
The SIDER bottle!
SIDER highlights your daily actions
through strong characteristics:
Sustainable, Insulated, Design, Ecological, Reliable.
Beyond its functional aspect (guarantee of a waterproof, BPA-free, isothermal and environmentally friendly stainless steel product), using SIDER allows you to have an impact on the daily life of disadvantaged communities at your level.
You wonder what the link is between the child who asked us to drink in Cape Town and the reusable bottle he can’t afford?
We support
Ikamva Design
By buying a SIDER bottle,
you are participating in a change.
By buying a SIDER bottle, you are participating in a sustainable socio-economic change in the township communities of Cape Town. As a first step, we will donate CHF 5.00 per bottle sold to the social enterprise Ikamva Design, which works with the elderly and craftsmen of these communities by creating jobs for them. Ikamva Design is a section of the Ikamva Labantu association.
This section is aimed at seniors: the elderly in the townships remain the pillars of their families, the parental figures of their grandchildren, and often their only access to an otherwise extremely low income.
At Ikamva Design, the Mamas come to work by creating a range of beaded and handcrafted items. They also use the traditional South African fabric, the Shweshewe, or African print.
It is the richness of African fabrics that inspired us to design our bottles. Donations go directly to this section and allow the Mamas to receive a salary as well as to support the programs set up by Ikamva Labantu.
Secondly, our medium to long term goal is to relocate the production of our bottles (currently in China for cost reasons) to Europe (for geographical proximity). Our dream is to open a factory in South Africa, in order to create jobs in the underprivileged areas of this country.
Thanks to you, SIDER has already donated
to Ikamva Design!
SIDER is freedom. love. will. force.
Our values are freedom, love, will and strength.
Your SIDER bottle is the emblem of your commitment to your ideas in your own life, but also to the world. It is a reminder to reconnect to the present moment, to your conscience: the choices you make every day have an impact on your life and on the world.
You have decided to shape your life every day; SIDER is part of these actions and participates, through its values and its mission, to create a better world, with you.
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