We are based in Pretoria, South Africa and started this website to find ways of getting involved in helping others. We decided to use the skills we have as a manufacturer and a designer, and see how best we can use those skills to create an awareness of the needs of the less fortunate.

The first thing we needed to do was to think of a name for our project. Our aim was to help anyone we could, regardless of age, race or gender. The idea of a rainbow came to mind as it symbolised a new hope after a dark, stormy period.

Our idea had started with the Rainbow Bags and we wanted to find ways of giving various people who needed specific items a parcel that could assist them in their difficult times. We thought about helping the homeless with blankets, food, toiletries or clothing. Then thought about AIDS orphans and their many needs. We thought about how many different people in need there are and it all seemed to become a little over-whelming! Wondering if we should do this or not, we decided to sleep on it and see what answers we were given the next morning.

That night, I thought about a bag I had been given to place all my things into in London, at a Computer Graphics exhibition. The small canvas bag served me well, and I still have it eight years later. I thought about how this small bag might help others, and how it could be a common item that every person we helped would be able to use.

A child could use it as a school bag. A homeless person might use it as a pillow or as a donation collection bag, rather than holding out his/her hand to catch a coin that a passing motorist may want to give them, or they could place a blanket they had been given into it in order to keep it clean and dry (much like the bag that a sleeping bag is placed into).

We knew that we would not be able to sustain the costs of creating the bags and filling them with items that might be needed. We would have to rely on the goodwill of individuals and businesses, to help us help others. The word "donation" would thus need to be incorporated into our name.

Once the two words were joined, we had "Rainbow Donation". It was the name we were looking for, especially in South Africa, as it sounded just like Rainbow Nation, and as luck would have it the word "Nation" had been hiding in the word "Donation" all along! In the design process we received our answer as to whether we should do this project or not.

We registered the website and created what you are currently viewing. Now we are looking for people like you to help us with the projects we want to complete... are you interested in helping?

Evolution of design