In September 2017, Tove Jansson’s niece, Sophia Jansson visited Rwanda with Oxfam to see first-hand the impact of the charity’s work helping to lift women and girls out of poverty. Amongst other projects, Sophia visited pineapple co-operatives, where women have seen a vast increase in their income and are now able to send their children to school and pay for healthcare by growing and selling the fruit.
During her visit, Sophia Jansson had a unique opportunity to hear Tove Jansson’s story ‘Invisible Child’ read to the local women in Rwanda in their own Kinyarwanda language. The women who heard the story knew exactly the story as being treated as the invisible child who never had had the right to be seen or heard.
Sophia Jansson said: “It was the first time I heard Moomin story in African language and afterward women came to say they felt just like the invisible child before, but now in the co-operative they have actually found their voice. I’m sure that Tove would be very glad that her stories are going to help women all across the world escape poverty and find their voices.”
Watch the Oxfam’s video below to see more from the visit in Rwanda.
Background of the Invisible Child campaign:
In October 2017 Moomin Characters Ltd and Oxfam announced a partnership to help women and girls around the world fight inequality and escape poverty for good.
The partnership centres around The Invisible Child, a short story by Moomin creator Tove Jansson. The special edition of Tove Jansson’s novel was released in October in English and now also in Finnish and Swedish by WSOY and Förlaget. For each purchase, at least 4 euros will be donated to Oxfam to support women and girls around the world.
On December 4th the British Ambassador Sarah Price, Oxfam Private Sector Partnership Manager Edward Gillespie and Sophia Jansson from Oy Moomin Characters Ltd come together to discuss the partnership. The discussion will take place in the heart of Helsinki at Akateeminen and is moderated by Baba Lybeck. Read more from here.
Photo of Sophia Jansson: Carl Shanahan / Oxfam
Other photos: © Moomin Characters™