Ethembeni Floral X Esjay

In 2023 we had the pleasure of meeting a lovely young man with huge ambition! Selu was born with cerebral palsy. He attended Ethembeni school and after graduating, went on to become the school librarian. In November 2023 he ran the New York Marathon to raise funds for his school library revamp! You (the esjay followers) bought 2115 tickets at R35 each for an Esjay x Saucony giveaway! Through this you raised R74,025 for Ethembeni school!!!! The revamp was beautiful and the opening was an emotional ceremony which we were lucky enough to attend.

We were so moved by the school, the students and the teachers, we knew we had to do more!

This school is a special place! It is a boarding school and the children who attend range from ages 5 - 18. When you walk the halls of the school, you are greeted by kind, warm faces. The students are polite, happy and appreciative. It is not uncommon to see one child stopping to do the laces of another, or someone pushing a fellow student's wheelchair up a ramp. These children are incredibly empathetic and conscious of each other. We live in a world where we are becoming more and more self centred and self absorbed, so it is refreshing to see these children look out for each other, and be conscious of differing circumstances !

We have so much to learn from the Ethembeni students. Many have disabilities that make their lives incredibly challenging, but they grab every opportunity and give it their best possible shot! We could all do with a bit more of this in our lives stop making excuses. Go for it! 

This Ethembeni floral print was put together by graphic designer Leigh Hertzberger using artworks created by the students at Ethembeni. We have paired the range with alicebands and bracelets which have been skillfully handcrafted by the students too! We hope this range celebrates these phenomenal children and the beauty, soul and zest they bring to life!