Introducing #SMILEFORASMILE, a collaboration between romaroomscolosseum and our charity partner Forget Me Not Australia.

We are using our platform to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for our charity partner Forget Me Not Australia who work to reunite trafficked children in Nepal, India and Uganda with their families.

In collaboration with Forget Me Not, we have created a range of SMILE products with our signature smiley logo. When you purchase a SMILE product, you are also sharing a smile with the children of Forget Me Not, with a donation made directly to the charity to support their work.

Why SMILE FOR A SMILE?

 A smile is one of the smallest gestures you can make, but one that has the most meaning. It’s something that can instantly change your day.

“A smile is a very powerful thing. When you smile at somebody, they smile back. You can lift their mood instantly and spread happiness all around you,” - Dui

“When I first heard about the SMILE FOR A SMILE campaign, I thought it was like a smile across the miles. It reaches from our hearts, all the way across to the children's hearts where we support them in Nepal, India and Uganda. It really means a lot.

When you purchase these beautiful pieces of clothing, you know on the inside that you're doing good, and you've done good because a portion of your purchase goes to help Forget Me Not Australia. You're going to look good on the outside, and you're going to feel great on the inside.” - Forget Me Not CEO Andrea Nave

Dr Kathryn E. van Doore is an international child rights lawyer and director at the Australian charity Forget Me Not. Her research has unveiled a horrible truth that more than 80% of children in orphanages have families and parents and are a victim of child trafficking.

Forget Me Not Australia works with local governments in Nepal, India and Uganda to change policies about orphanages and spread awareness about this issue. 

Their task is to prevent children and young people from being displaced and to keep children within their families and communities.

Andrea’s aim is “to help kids smile again”.

“Orphanages are not a place for children … families are a place for children,” - Forget Me Not Charity supporter and advocate Mel Manley.

This message is strong and means so much to our always-smiling Dui. Giving back in some way has always been a part of the romaroomscolosseum brand.

“Forget Me Not is so important to me because it is a way in which we can educate people and stop what is happening with orphanages,” Dui said.

“In Australia, for example, there are no orphanages and haven’t been for a very long time.”

The heartbreaking reality is that the limited education in developing countries like Nepal, India and Uganda, results in child traffickers posing as government officials and scouting regional areas for families who will fall for their false promise of a better education and future for their children. 

The truth is that the children who have been promised an education are then used as assets by the orphanage to attract altruistic tourist dollars.

The ultimate goal of Forget Me Not is to end orphanages, and “to see children home and thriving with a great social structure”. This takes a whole lot of work and funding, and that’s where SMILE FOR A SMILE comes in.

For every SMILE product you purchase, we donate directly to Forget Me Not Australia. 

These donations help Forget Me Not to build brighter futures for children through healthcare, education and family support, and #endtheorphanAGE.

“I want to share that with the world because it’s such an incredible thing that we need to do to stop what is going on,” Dui said. 

“There is no need for orphanages anywhere in the world.”

The romaroomscolosseum SMILE FOR A SMILE campaign is more than just sharing a smile, it’s telling a story of how you can help Forget Me Not’s initiative to end the complex issue of child trafficking and shut down orphanages for good. 

Shop the range and be part of the change.