precious little african art exhibition

Precious Few Pty Ltd is a Sydney-based creative production company which also organises not-for-profit events like Precious Little - an exhibition of drawings by African school children.

bricks + cartwheels attended the exhibition launch at the quaint little Gallery 44 on Little Oxford St on May 8. All the money raised from the night goes towards 3 African schools: Mangamba School in Tanzania, Lo'mongo Boma Masaai School in Kenya and Koelenhof Primary in South Africa.

Precious Few is run by husband and wife team Leonie Blignaut and Nick Long. Photos such as the one above were beautifully taken by Leonie, some stunning shots! Along with the children's gorgeous artwork, the photgraphs were also for sale at the Launch.

Precious Little was also featured in the latest Frankie magazine! So if you dont have it go out and get it and read about this fantastic duo! Check out the Precious Little Blog for more information about the travels and stories of this project!

burma/myanmar

The cyclone that has ripped through burma has left tens of thousands of people dead and reports of millions being left homeless. It is a horrible natural disaster that is being made so much worse by the military junta in Burma and its refusal to let in foreign aid and help.


Emergency Architects is an international organisation with an australian branch and they have already sent a team to burma. Aavaz (which means "voice" in many Asian, Middle eastern and European languages) is another international organisation which works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decisions. Aavaz is running a Burma Cyclone - Stand with the people campaign.

We at bricks + cartwheels think that both these organisations are amazing and urge you all to follow the links to find out more information or help in any way you can.

architects without frontiers

This week bricks + cartwheels was asked to talk at the NSW architects without frontiers meeting in Sydney. We were a bit nervous about talking in front of a big group of design professionals but we needn't have worried! They were an amazing group of people, who were very welcoming and interested to hear all about our project in Kenya.

Architects Without Frontiers (AWF) was founded eight years ago to help rebuild communities that have been devastated by war, social conflict and natural disasters. We were amazed and inspired to hear about the projects that AWF are involved with around the world. They are currently working in Malwai, China, Papua New Guinea, India, Tanzania and Nepal just to name a few.

The photo below is of a youth centre in Malawi that Sam Crawford has designed. They have just secured the land so hopefully construction will be starting soon.

AWF are always looking for volunteers, and you don't have to be an architect, they have designers, project managers, quantity surveyors etc. We think they are an inspirational organisation so if your interested in helping them out check out their website and come along to their next meeting, we'll be there for sure!

FAIR TRADE fortnight 3rd - 18th may

Its FAIR TRADE fortnight!

By changing to fair trade today or getting involved in events, you can change the lives of farmers and producers across the developing world.

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South.

Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.

As a result of Fairtrade, these producers receive a Fairtrade Minimum Price that covers the cost of sustainable production as well as an extra Fairtrade Premium that is invested in social or economic development projects.

bricks + cartwheels attended the FAIR TRADE Fiesta ot the Paddington Hall on tuesday night. There was a great vibe with lots of stall holders selling Fairly Traded goods and the food by Kylie Kwong using fairtrade products was delicious!

Look for the FAIR TRADE label on products such as coffee, tea, chocolate, cotton, sugar, rice and sports balls!

For more infomation about the FAIR TRADE click here