Jumble is Massive!

Since my very first visit to Thailand (in 2008, as one leg of an epic round-the-world trip), it has held a special place in my heart: the people, landscape, food, wildlife, and culture – all of these factors combine to make this one of my favourite countries in the world. As someone who is hyperactive by nature, a ball of burning energy, it is the one place on Earth that I can truly relax. Usually, I haven’t even realised that I’m as tense as a tightly-coiled spring until the plane touches down…then my shoulders sag, the knots in my back start to loosen, and I subconsciously exhale deeply. The tight muscles are unwound further by the obligatory hour-long Thai massage on my first day – a rite of passage for any tourist to the Land of Smiles – then it’s a veg-filled green curry and a swim in the bathwater-warm Andaman Sea. Bliss!

This is the place I credit with fixing me when I fled, broken-hearted after my marriage break-up, for a solo soul-searching trip; a month with no plans other than to swim in the ocean, allow the sun to warm my bones and heal my invisible wounds. (You can read my Thailand blog Sam Goes Solo about that trip, should you be interested.) I’ve since been back on multiple occasions, each time collecting precious memories as though gathering seashells from the shore.

So, when I ‘met’ Natasha Whiting via my Facebook group, The Non-Mum Network, and she asked for help in spreading the word about her fundraising event, Jumble is Massive, in aid of her charity Acorn Overseas to help orphaned and abandoned children in Mae Sot, Thailand, I jumped at the chance to finally give something back to a country that’s helped me in so many ways.

I learn that Natasha founded the charity back in 2009, having spent seven years living in Thailand working on various local projects. She initially travelled to the country in 2004, aged 18, to volunteer at an orphanage, and quickly became part of the emergency aid relief following the Boxing Day tsunami. (Her outstanding achievements later earned her the accolade ‘Young Person of the Year’ by her hometown council in Stroud, Gloucestershire.) Such was Natasha’s admiration of the tenacity of the people, and the inspiring solidarity they showed in the face of such tragedy, that she wanted to start something that would give her a connection to Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) even when she was not there in person.

She says: “Whilst in Thailand I became disheartened with the way charities, in my eyes, didn’t go to the root of the problem and get more involved. It felt like everything was done from plush hotels, and behind the tinted windows of 4×4’s that rolled through camps, orphanages and disaster zones. I was put into contact with an orphanage that was established to care for the basic needs of “Ghost Children” (Children who have lost their identity due to persecution and abandonment) from Myanmar that was going through some serious difficulties. I attempted to appeal to multiple NGO’s (non government organisations) to help with the orphanage and no one would offer more than a bag of rice a month as the problem wasn’t “big enough”. 

In October 2008, the irregular support they did have from America abandoned them with nothing, so myself and a friend stepped in to provide support for them in every which way we could. So I started the charity in order to support this small home of children who were abandoned and orphaned due to situations you may not even be able to imagine. Since then we grew from 7 to 50 children, we built a home, we were donated a truck to get the children to school, and we dug, as running water is rare.

We have become an education-focused charity, working alongside Burma Border Projects to make sure migrant children receive a proper rounded education, and are taught by qualified teachers from around the world. My plan for the future is to keep raising awareness and money to provide a better standard of education to the migrant children in the area, and to make sure they receive equal opportunities for a brighter future. I hope that in the coming years, people will run the London marathon for us, companies will make us their charity of the year, and we can continue to make a huge difference.”

Inspired by Natasha’s philanthropic work, I’m immediately eager to help. She tells me that she needs support in raising funds and awareness for the charity, which then translates into food, shelter and education for these children. She holds clothing sales and needs donations of clothes and accessories to sell. One bag of donated clothing equates to a month’s supplies and education for a child, so I set about tapping up my family and besties for donations. Of course, they willingly oblige like the legends they are, and we collect 11 sackfuls of clothes between us.

The fundraising event takes place this Saturday 18th August, at Pop Brixton. It’ll be a fun day: a chance to pick up some stylish new threads whilst gettin’ your groove on to the tunes being spun and munching on some tasty food-stall fayre. What more could you want from your Saturday afternoon in London town, eh? Then you can continue your weekend wearing your sassy new garms, safe in the knowledge that you’ve made a difference to the lives of these deserving children.

I will be there, along with my loyal charity sidekick De Mama. (Do you remember our exploits helping children in central America? You can read all about it over on my blog, Costa Rica Chica.) We’ll be using our sartorial skills to marry the chicest clothes to their rightful new owner, so please come on down, meet the inspirational Tash, say hi….and buy!

Jumble is Massive takes place at Pop Brixton this Saturday, 18th August, 11am – 4pm. For more information about Natasha’s charity, Acorn Overseas, or to donate, check out the website here. You can also follow Acorn Overseas on Instagram here, Twitter here and Facebook here.

See ya there!

UPDATE: The event was an overwhelming success, with tons of cold hard cash raised for the charity and many a satisfied customer bopping around to the music wearing their new garments. Yayyy!

A few photos from the day:

And a lovely “thank you” from Natasha, Dan and Sarah:

Sam x