Hello and welcome- we are thrilled you have decided to find out more about our project. This is a personal invitation to join our powerful community.
We at Secret Pillow invite you to buy a Secret Pillow and help empower women.
What is a Secret Pillow?
A Secret Pillow is a beautiful hand-crafted pillow that unfolds into a colorful blanket. Each pillow is handmade from 100% cotton and comes in an ever-changing selection of colors and patterns.
Secret Pillow Project is a social business established in 2013 to unfold women's power through making and selling Secret Pillows.
You can purchase a pillow by selecting a "perk" please note that you will receive an email confirmation from Indiegogo and a thank you email from us when your transaction is complete. If you haven't receive those your order has not been processed even though you receive an invoice number you must click through to the end.
What is a Secret Pillower?
A Secret Pillower is somebody who shares the vision of the Secret Pillow Project and supports our project in some way either by buying our products, sharing our story or giving their time, skills and advice. Secret Pillow Project's vision is that women have confidence and resources to make their own choices for themselves and their children. Do you share this vision?
Why is there a need?
Secret Pillow Project is a solution to a genuine need. Over the last 10 years or so there has been a global movement to empower women worldwide by offering basic training and microcredit loans. Cottage industries have flourished but there is still a gap in the marketing these products in the global economy. Lack of confidence, connections and not enough diversity of products to sell outside local markets prevents women from realizing themselves as true entrepreneurs. Secret Pillow Project is a solution to this problem.
A wide range of economic research shows that investing in women and girls is one of the highest return opportunities available in the developing world. Bringing more women into the labor force can significantly boost per capital income and GDP growth. Women's higher propensity to use their earnings and increased bargaining power to buy goods and services that improve family welfare can create a virtuous circle. In fact, Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation has stated that women globally reinvest 90% of what they earn into their families. This means that women are the ultimate economic accelerators.
How does the project work?.
The women's groups go through 4 stages of empowerment, explained below. We currently have 200 producers from 2 South India states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 140 are in stage 1 and 60 women are in stage 2.
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Stage 1 - The Empowerment Stage
- Secret Pillow Project runs a workshop teaching the women's group how to safely and succesfully make a SAMPLE Secret Pillow. A SAMPLE Secret Pillow might not be perfect but it is made with great love and offers a women a life changing opportunity.
- The women are given an advance order to buy the materials to make their pillow.
- On collection the women are paid a generous trade price per pillow, which are collected and then shipped internationally where they undergo quality control checks and are then sent out to waiting customers
Stage 2 - The Professionalisation Stage
- The pillows are made using specially printed cotton (which we provide, along with wadding) and are made to a professional standard ensuring top quality and fabrics that are guaranteed to high standard for the Western market.
- At this stage pillows can now be sold for a higher price as 'In Stock' pillows.
Stage 3 - The Development Stage
- The women's groups are now confident enough to work independently and teach other women to make and sell Secret Pillows.
- Women are able to borrow a loan from the project, at a NO interest rate, in order to further their skills and upgrade their machinery if they so wish.
Stage 4 - The Diversification Stage
- Women begin to upskill their groups and work to find their own routes to market via local suppliers and also internationally.
- They now receive a trade price that is bench marked against other ethical India based homeware producers.
- Women can choose to continue making Secret Pillow Projects
The most important part of the empowerment process is that the women are free to be independent from the project at the end. The subsidy is simply there to help them get going on their journey to financial independence.
Meet the incredible Secret Pillow Producers
Introducing Vasantha, Preethy, Angela, Santhi, Sharmila, Vasantha and Seetha, Secret Pillow Producers and Trainers who live in Kerala.
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What we will you do if we achieve our target?
Achieving a target of $15,000 will enable us to invite many more women to join our empowerment program and move all our women along 1 or 2 stages of the empowerment process. Each 3 pillows sold allows us to invite another person to the project.
Our track record
Secret Pillow Project UK has already had an impressive impact on UK consumers- driving sales for over 200 producers. Through this crowd funding campaign I want to help grow the demand for Secret Pillows by establishing a community of Secret Pillowers here in the US.
Thank you for reading all about us.
Pledge NOW...and please share!
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Frequently Asked Questions about Secret Pillows
- How do I fold my Secret Pillow away? Click here to watch a film on how to fold it away.
- What are Secret Pillows made of? During the workshop the women are asked to make their Secret Pillows out of 100% cotton fabric and a fire proof 100% polyester wadding.
- Have the Secret Pillows been tested? Yes. The Secret Pillows have been tested to confirm they are non-flammable. They are made of the materials the care label specifies.
- How do I wash my Secret Pillow? The suggested washing instructions are suitable for the product, i.e, wash at 30 degrees in a washing machine. Do not tumble dry, dry clean or iron.
- What happens if I receive the email with the fabric choices and I don't like any of them? You will keep receiving emails with new fabric choices for 12 months from the date of placing the pre-order. If you have not chosen within that year, we will choose a secret pillow for you and send it out to you.
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Where can I read the full story of the Secret Pillow Project? Click here
- What are Secret Pillow suitable for? Secret Pillows are a craft item, they are enjoyed by mobile children and adults, ending up in all sorts of places on sofas, in cars, on beds, on airplanes, in offices, in RVs, in boats - the list is endless!
This is not an exhaustive list of questions, if you still have questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us or visit our website www.secretpillow.org.uk
About me and why I got involved in Secret Pillow Project:
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(keeping warm with one of my secret pillow blankets, at my home in Colorado)
My name is Taja and I am the US lead for Secret Pillow Project. Fritha Vincent, SPP founder is based in the UK.
My first job after grad school, where I studied International Social Development, was working for international aid and development organizations.
One of my responsibilities was recruiting and deploying teams of rapid response volunteers to natural disaster zones such as in the days following a major earthquake or Tsunami.
Later I became the volunteer coordinator for an anti-human trafficking organization and had the privilege of working directly with survivors and managing dozens of volunteers who, like me, wanted to help end this most extreme form of economic exploitation.
During my 7 years in those jobs I was contacted every single day by motivated individuals who wanted to get involved and make a real difference in the lives of others around the world. It was inspiring.
Sadly, I had to turn down almost of the people who wanted to help because they didn't meet the strict criteria even for volunteers- requirements like spending 2 weeks in Liberia (starting tomorrow), fluency in Pashto, medical degree or years of experience in water and sanitation engineering in refugee camps.
I was forced to tell would-be volunteers they could help by raising awareness, donating money and buying fair trade products but I always felt that wasn’t a good enough answer for them or for me.
Understanding the context of inequality and hearing, first hand, the stories of trafficking survivors, I began to understand that their enslavement almost always began with the struggle of finding work so that is where I wanted to focus my energy.
Solutions needed to come from more than just knowing a problem exists but from creating economic opportunities to foster change.
Secret Pillow Project is one answer. I love it because anyone and everyone can participate and I want to develop a crowdfunding campaign with varying levels of financial commitment. As a working mother of 2 small children my time is very limited but I still want to do something impactful. I know there are many other busy people who want to do something but don't have the time to volunteer- THIS is that opportunity.
Our vision is that women have confidence and resources to make their own choices for themselves and their children. If you share this vision then please join us at Secret Pillow Project and to quote one of my favorites from Gandhi “Be the change you want to see in the world. "
Thank you so much and please pledge your support now.
