Nomad Cruise and the 22STARS Foundation

Did you know that the 22STARS foundation started after the first Nomad Cruise? It was this very first cruise, December 2015, where I (Stella) got the opportunity to give a talk about Instagram and the 22STARS Jewellery. Back then 22STARS was “just” selling jewellery made from recycled paper by the women in Uganda, in order to help them out of poverty. We financed our social programs with the profits, which went up and down a lot. On this very first cruise, many cruisers told me that they would love to donate money to the women and children. They asked me why I did not start a fundraiser to help them go to school. Yes, Why not? Once we disembarked the cruise and had internet again, I immediately created a fundraiser! The first cruisers made donations and gave me money in my hands, saying that they trust that I know what to do with it. 

After Nomad Cruise 1 I went back to Uganda and we started to select kids and send them to school. On Nomad Cruise 2, May 2016, I shared with people the impact that their donation made and from there things went fast. More and more nomad cruisers signed up to sponsor a child, and the first cruisers came to Uganda to visit our project. Soon after - in March 2017- the 22STARS Foundation was officially established! Thanks to the help of the cruisers and the founder Johannes Voelkner, we brought our project manager Susan Laker to Nomad Cruise 6 in 2018! It was her first time out of Uganda and a truly inspiring journey that impacted many lives!

Fast forward, at every single cruise we got the special opportunity to sell our 22STARS jewellery and talk about our cause in Uganda to raise more awareness and funds. Which was successful, as we are supporting now more than 350 kids (100 of them are sponsored by Nomad Cruisers), handed out microloans to more than 60 families, and run additional healthcare and community programs on the ground in Uganda!

In addition, I have met many other inspiring Social Impact Entrepreneurs and have held fruitful Masterminds with them to bring all our charities and social businesses to the next level. Needless to say how grateful I am for this community and their support. Not just financially, but also the people from the community have helped our foundation with regards to website design, social media, copy-writing etc. Many cruisers shared their knowledge for free with us and even gave us more of their time by coming to Uganda. 

The next two cruises are taking place soon! 18 November cruise 9 will leave from Barcelona to Brasil and 28 November cruise 10 from Athens to Dubai. I will be on cruise 10, as it will bring me closer to my beloved country: Uganda! From Dubai it is just a 5 hour flight (between 150-200 euro), and hence I am planning to spend the end of the year in Uganda, celebrating X-mas with the 22STARS children and their families!
And you are invited to join me on the cruise!
 
If you like to hop on the nomad cruise, check out this invitation link! (also counts for NC9) If you book the cruise, mention my name STELLA AIROLDI, and you will get 200 euro off, and I will also get 200 euro. Needless to stay, I would -and always have done so - promote this cruise without this offer. But hey, in this case it is really a WIN-WIN-WIN for all of us!!

After Cruise plan: come and join us in Uganda! Also if cruising is not your thing, but you like to have a meaningful and authentic Christmas experience, then come and join us on our X-mas journey! Celebrate X-mas with our 350 kids and families from the 22STARS Foundation! Email me back asap if you like to join us in Uganda for X-mas, as we have only limited spots available. For New Years Eve, travel around Uganda and go on a safari, stay longer with the 22STARS Foundation or hop over to Kenya for a New Years Festival in Kilifi! Current long-term sponsors will get a discount on the program, and will get priority over non-longterm sponsors!