To celebrate we’re delighted to introduce you to this cheeky little chap! Baby Fabio, one year old and from Brazil, is the youngest in his SOS family – his SOS mother says he loves the attention!

Despite all we know and love about Brazil there is great inequality and for many, life is extremely insecure and unsafe. Both Fabio’s parents died, but now that he’s with his SOS family he has a new start in life.

We’re donating 100% of our profit to help orphaned children across Africa and in India and Brazil.  Our profit supports them to live in new family homes in children’s villages run by our partner charity SOS Children.  There they grow up safely, loved by their SOS mother, brothers and sisters, and go to school. We’re also using our profits to support 2 village nursery schools, in Zambia and Malawi.

Marking our first year, Fabio’s gorgeous smile is extra special and we love to think how we’re growing up alongside him and all the children we support.  Thanks to all our customers and supporters for making our first year so special, even more so for the children whose lives you’ve changed. For them and us, let’s see what fun toddlerhood brings!

Buy beautiful baby clothes at www.frombabieswithlove.org: Style with substance and smiles all round!

Ousmane attends the village nursery, which follows a Montessori approach.  He’s enjoying all the normal things that toddlers love, here he is on a toy car.

And here’s our favourite picture, Ousmane with his foster sister.  He and his sister, along with several other siblings, live with their SOS Mother in a family home in the children’s village.

We love receiving updates from the babies we’re supporting and hope you do too.  Visit www.frombabieswithlove.org today – it’s your purchases that help children like Ousmane have safe and happy childhoods.  But wow don’t they grow up fast!

At from babies with love this is certianly our experience, plus there are the social and environmental benefits too. Organic means no artificial pesticides are sprayed on crops, the cotton is not genetically modified and that cotton producers, wildlife and the environment are protected. Using organic cotton means we are working with nature not against it.

Plus, as Gurgle Magazine says: “if you want to feel even better about yourself, how about cute baby grows from frombabieswithlove.org – not only are they made from 100 percent orgnaic cotton, but all (yes, all) their profits go towards helping abandoned children around the world”. Check out Gurgle Magazine for the latest parenting news!

Chipata is the main town in Zambia’s Eastern Province; rural-urban migration has contributed to it’s growing population. The construction of the railway line along the Nacala Corridor (linking Zambia to the coast of Mozambique, via Malawi) brings population growth through migrant labour.  It also brings an increased number of HIV infections and the expansion of informal and squatter settlements. HIV infection rates have risen and there’s a particularly high rate of family breakdown and child abandonment. Around one in six of all children in Chipata are orphans, compared to one in 12 in the general population.

Thanks to her SOS Mother, all the team at SOS Children, donors and supporters including our customers, Gloria has a wonderful childhood ahead; safe, loved, growing up in a family with brothers and sisters and she’ll receive an education.

Here’s a lovely picture of some of the children’s she’ll be surrounded by:

Alongside Ousmane, Mariama, Anjali and Sandrine, we’re thrilled to be donating our profits to support little Gloria and are looking forward to watching her grow up!  Follow her, and all the childrens’ news, plus check out the gorgeous new additions to our baby clothes range at www.frombabieswithlove.org

Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, has high levels of malnourishment.   Many parents, especially single mothers, often go without eating for several days at a time – what little food is available goes to the children.   Parents weakened by hunger can mean they are unable to care for their children, and often suffer from weak immunity to common illnesses such as colds.  Challenges such as these create harsh conditions for children, so the work of organisations like SOS Children to secure a loving home, nutritious diet, health and education for every child, is critical.

The children’s village in Liliongwe opened in 1994; it has 12 family houses that care for 114 children.  In addition to the nursery school, there is a primary and secondary school, a medical centre, youth home and vocational training centre.

The medical centre provides healthcare for babies, children, and mothers.   Reflecting on the incredible care I received from the NHS during my pregnancy, and that my son has received ever since, I appreciate even more how critical these services are.   Services that many of us find hard to imagine, like care for those living with HIV/ AIDS, or care for children that get malaria.   Services we wouldn’t necessarily even think of, like programmes to decrease malnutrition.    Plus of course all the things we are used to here in the UK, from babies’ inoculations to care for common illnesses such as diarrhoea.

We’re so pleased to make our small contribution to all of SOS Children’s incredible work in Lilongwe.   To know that the 114 children in the village live with the love of their SOS foster mothers, brothers and sisters, and that the village services support many other children in the community, spurs us onwards to provide more and more support!  Which, of course, is down to you, our customers and supporters.   So as always, an enormous thank you!  We hope you are enjoying knowing how you’re helping vulnerable children, whilst your little loved ones are enjoying their baby clothes!

Mariama lives in Basse, a village with 112 children who live in 12 family houses.  Growing up fast, her family has updated us that dancing is her favourite past time, and that she loves music.

In the letter we received the SOS Mothers explain: “words may not be enough to express how much we feel, smiles may not be enough to show how much we appreciate your generous support…. We can be proud of our joint success and believe that through courage and hope we can achieve our goals”.

What a lovely message to receive at the beginning of the year… to fuel our determination to support many more children like Mariama to have the fair start in life they deserve.

Thank you for being part of creating a wonderful happy childhood for Mariama, the other children we support, and the new children we’ll meet in 2013!

In a recycled delivery box from the Eden Project’s online shop (http://www.edenproject.com/shop/default.aspx): champagne, scented candles, games for my nieces and nephews and a cute elephant jigsaw for my baby son.    The Eden Project works around the world to bring about environmental, social and economic regeneration.  In the UK its beautiful gardens inspire people of all ages and all walks of life to learn about nature and get involved.

Dartington, a historical hall in Devon, is a place of learning about some of the significant issues of our time.   Each year over 500 change makers, including social entrepreneurs, participate in the learning programme, enabling them to develop ways of creating a more sustainable world.   From Dartington’s online shop (http://www.dartington.org/online-shop/shop) I bought Cowshed products and various sweet and savory treats.

On Saturday morning my family and I visited Borough Market in London.   We soon spotted Rubies in the Rubble, the brilliant award-winning social enterprise that uses ingredients that would otherwise be discarded and employs Londoners struggling to find work to create its delicious chutney products.  Served by an infectiously cheerful man with a huge smile, we bought chutney gift bags; in which we selected 3 chutneys such as Nutty Plum and Red Onion & Chili.   You can find Rubies in the Rubble chutneys in many locations: http://www.rubiesintherubble.com/where-to-find-us/

So, I’m nearly finished!  I’ve managed to #BuySocial for nearly all my presents!  But there is still one thing I need… picture frames for photos…. If anyone knows where I can buy them – from a social enterprise – please do contact me at @frombabies on twitter. Perhaps it’s not possible at the moment… in which case… social entrepreneurs… there’s a gilt-edged (or perhaps silver framed!) gap in the market!

Burkina Faso is an extremely poor country; at 53 years life expectancy is very low.  770,000 children in Burkina Faso are growing up without parental care, thousands being orphaned by AIDS. HIV & AIDS exacerbates child labour – as households lose adult members, family income declines so children have to contribute financially.  This in turn impacts education, only a quarter of the population knows how to read and write.

Creating change in this overwhelming context, SOS Children has been working in Burkina Faso since the 1990s.  In March 2012 Sandrine moved in to the SOS Children’s village in Dafra, a suburb of Burkina Faso’s second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, where 12 SOS families provide a loving home for around 120 children.

The children attend the SOS nursery school together with children from the neighbourhood, ensuring they are integrated in to the local community.  They go on to complete their education at the SOS primary and secondary school, which is attended by 900 children, making it an important educational institution in the region. The village has a social centre that provides health services, counseling and care for families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Sandrine’s SOS Mother has written to tell us a little about her: she’s a lively girl, very curious and eager to explore.  Sandrine has elder SOS siblings, whom she is very observant of so she can imitate what they do.  They say that you rarely see Sandrine walk as she prefers to run all the time!

This time of year feels extra special to meet Sandrine and know that we are helping her SOS Mother, and the whole SOS Children team, give her a fair start in life.   Wishing you a very happy Christmas little Sandrine!

Rococo has a joint venture with the Grenada Chocolate Company, a small, solar-powered tree-to-bar maker.   When Hurricane Emily devastated Grenada’s cocoa crop in 2005; Rococo made a special edition bar in aid of the Grenada Relief Fund.   Now they work together to produce fairly traded, ethical chocolate on the Grococo farm.    The farm is one of the founding farms of The Grenada Organic Cocoa Farmers’ Cooperative.

Rococo sells exquisite chocolates, beautifully presented in boxes, bars and often in quirky shapes and designs.  I choose a selection of their bars (Crystallised Ginger, Earl Grey Tea and Orange & Geranium) and a box of butter fudge as gifts for family members.  The real challenge will be leaving them untouched under the tree!

Check out Rococo’s scrumptious selection at http://www.rococochocolates.com/

Elvis & Kresse scrub away all the soot and grease that builds up after the hoses have been used for about 25 years.  At the end of life as a hose, instead of being sent to landfill, the otherwise waste material is turned in to beautiful accessories such as handbags, belts, laptop covers and tablewear.  And in addition to reducing waste, Elvis & Kresse donate 50% of profit to charities relating to the waste they collect, such as the Fire Fighters charity.

The wrapping (also entirely reclaimed) is so stylish I couldn’t bear to unwrap my table mats to take a picture, so here’s the one from the Elvis & Kresse website:

I’m a huge fan of this social enterprise because it couples fantastic environmental and social benefits.   So yes, I am saving up for a handbag!

Check out the Elvis & Kresse shop at: http://www.elvisandkresse.com/index.html