Urbana, IA. Aura Cacia®, a leading essential oil brand, recently launched a goodwill initiative that will donate 1 percent of sales from all Aura Cacia organic products to projects that will aid farmers and their communities. This project is called the 1% Organic Fund.
The first project associated with this fund is the Ambohimena School, a preschool for the children of families who pick organically grown ylang ylang flowers near the village of Ambohimena, Madagascar. Before the school was built, the nearest option for early childhood education was more than seven miles away. Aura Cacia worked with local educators and social workers to make the school a reality.
“While visiting Madagascar, we learned that over half of the children come from single parent homes,” said Aura Cacia Senior Brand Manager Jane Merten. “Being a single parent is a challenge in the U.S. … Just imagine what it’s like in a Third World country. Traveling to the source helped us make personal connections with the farmers which uncovered what their real concerns are—the future of their children.”
The Ambohimena School has two rooms, one for 2- and 3-year olds and one for 4- and 5-year olds, and accommodates up to 60 children. The first year salaries for the school’s two teachers are also paid for by Aura Cacia’s new fund.
The program promotes the sustainable production of natural and organic products and creates partnerships built upon a mutual respect for quality botanicals and sound social and environmental principles. By bringing high-quality, socially responsible products to the marketplace, the program gives consumers the opportunity to use their purchases to influence the way the world does business.
For more information on the Ambohimena School, visit http://www.auracacia.com/onepercent/ambohimena.html.
Aura Cacia®
Founded in 1981 and based in Urbana, Iowa, Aura Cacia provides consumers with natural and organic personal-care products made with 100-percent pure essential oils. Aura Cacia fulfills consumers’ desires for comfort, health and safety in personal care products by combining the benefits of aromatherapy with practical products that can be used every day by the whole family. Aura Cacia is a registered brand of Frontier Natural Products Co-op.™
Frontier Natural Products Co-op(TM)
Founded in 1976 and based in Norway, Iowa, Frontier Natural Products Co-op™ offers a full line of natural and organic products under the Frontier, Simply Organic®, Aura Cacia® and Aura Cacia Organics® brands. Products include culinary herbs, spices and baking flavors; bulk herbs and spices; and natural and organic aromatherapy products. Frontier’s goal is to provide consumers with the highest-quality organic and natural products while supporting and promoting social and environmental responsibility. For more information, visit www.frontiercoop.com.