April 4, 2008

CONNOISSEUR OF TIME GIVES BACK - WATCH COMPANY DONATES FUNDS TO SUPPORT KENYAN COMMUNITY

In early November 2007, Atlanta-based Connoisseur of Time began a one-year partnership with 410 Bridge, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing about positive change in the country of Kenya.

A very worthwhile NGO, 410 Bridge strives to move the needle there by partnering with local communities to discover and address their needs. With lofty aims to impact the country as a whole, the fairly young organization is already actively involved in five communities in central and southern Kenya, undertaking projects such as drilling clean water wells, assisting local orphanages, and building local infrastructure for clean water distribution.

Connoisseur of Time has partnered with 410 Bridge to undertake a special social entrepreneurship project, funding the start-up of a clothing business in the Kenyan community of Karogoto. The new business will produce school uniforms for primary and secondary school children around Karogoto and plans to market them in local communities around the country.

The idea was birthed out of a desire to address what Karogoto's community Leadership Council recognized as the town's most pressing need -- assisting their underprivileged women with employment. In a place where many of the men find themselves without hope and respond by forsaking their families and turning to drug and alcohol addiction, the women are often left with the responsibility of not only raising their families, but also providing for them.

Connoisseur of Time's portion of the partnership will be contributing all the necessary start-up capital to be used for the purchase of equipment, materials, and training, the leasing of facility space and the necessary operating funds for the business's first year of operations. The clothier is expected to employ approximately fifty Kenyan women.

Besides providing employment for the underprivileged, the new Kenyan business will also perpetuate the cycle of giving by donating 10% of its profits to meet other community-based needs. Through their commitment to 410 Bridge, Connoisseur of Time demonstrates their desire to not only serve their luxury watch customers, but also to enrich the lives of those less fortunate a world away.