In the fashion designer scene Coccinelle has been known to support charitable causes. Many of you may have heard of the recent Coccinelle Handbag project Kids Helping Kids, where children customized white canvas bags with common children’s designs and colorful patterns. The proceeds from the sale of these canvas bags were donated to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, which specializes in treating children with cancer, and to Magica Cleme, which supports children in the pediatric Hematology and Oncology ward at Monza’s San Gerardo Hospital.
However, many of you may not be aware that the Coccinelle’s ethical Goodie Bag was designed expressly for the charitable Francesca Rava Foundation – N.P.H. Italia Onlus. Sales of previous designs of this Coccinelle Handbag were a big success, proceeds of which were donated to help build the rehabilitation center House of Little Angels located in Haiti. The House of Little Angles offers help to hundreds of disabled children living in Haiti who otherwise would be forsaken and left to suffer. The official opening ceremony for House of Little Angels was held on December 3, 2008.
More recent proceeds from the sale of the freshly redesigned Goodie Bag go to the new charitable project Francisville – New Work City which will again aid Haitian youth. Francisville will provide participants with training and new jobs so they can create a better future for themselves. This will be a self-sustaining project which seeks to provide a more prosperous future to the children who leave the orphanage and Schools organized by N.P.H., the international humanitarian organization. Francisville is being built in Port au Prince which is the capital city of Haiti.
Then on January 12, 2010 a catastrophic earthquake shook Haiti causing extensive widespread damage which included damage to some Francesca Rava Foundation – N.P.H. Italia Onlus projects. The children’s hospital Saint Damien, opened in 2006, was badly damaged and required the evacuation of 150 sick children. Perimeter walls of the Francisville – New Work City collapsed in the earthquake. However, the 600 children at the orphanage of NPH and Rehabilitation center House of Little Angels were saved.
Rescue and recovery efforts began immediately.