We love nothing more than to report on an Aussie band making waves overseas with their music, but what makes something like this even greater is when they’re improving the lives of the less fortunate.
Sydney garage-popsters, Bloods, have worked in tandem with non-for-profit organisation Skateistan to help extremely marginalised youth, particular females, in Afghanistan by donating the profits of their new single ‘What Do I Care’ as well as creating a neat new vid that spreads the message of Skateistan.
The three-piece’s music video for ‘What Do I Care’ features various Afghani skaters shredding, as well as important information about Skateistan’s mission and the dire situation so many adolescents face every day in the war torn nation.
Bloods lead singer MC spoke to Junkee on the collaboration, “as a band we don’t really make a great deal of money, so donating cash was hard, but we knew we could at least raise awareness. I got in touch with them as a fan, asking if they’d be up for collaborating and I’m so glad they knew who we were and were up for it, they had all this incredible footage they’d shot throughout their journey and basically said ‘go for it’.”
This may sound a little bizarre, however Skateistan have contributed massively to improving the lives of disadvantage youngsters initially through skating, providing them with a social activity where they can come together with other youths in their situation and have fun.
Bloods, alongside Skateistan, have used skateboarding as a tool for empowerment, helping youth in the developing world through workshops and education. Amazingly, there are now over 750 skateboarders in Afghanistan – and nearly half of them are girls. This is pretty incredible considering Afghanistan is a place where the female literacy rate is only 13%, where girls access to education, let alone sports, is barely existent.
Check out the super rad collab right here:
Founded by Aussie skateboarder Oliver Percovich, Skateistan began as a grassroots ‘Sport for Development’ project on the streets of Kabul in 2007 and is now an award-winning, international NGO with projects in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. Skateistan is the first international development initiative to combine skateboarding with educational outcomes and is non-political, independent and inclusive of all ethnicities, religions and social backgrounds.
For further information on the great work Skateistan do or to make a donation, check out their website here.
