Last week was a big one as it was the last week of the 18th month Ceramic School program. The students have already sat their final exam and used the...
Last November during our ‘Get-ready-for-Christmas-market’, we donated 10% of all sales to the Sierra Leonean charity Uman Tok. Therefore, we were very happy to receive news from Uman Tok this week...
Looking back on 2020, we can say the year has not been boring! Even though the year did not develop as we all planned, we can definitely look back on...
As we write this post, we are almost halfway through the program with the second Cohort of our pre-accelerator programme! We are very excited to see the number of applicants...
Week 6 of the pre-acceleration program: 8 Start-ups 12 Interactive sessions 3 Pitches performed 2 Guest speakers 1 Crash course This is part of what has happened in the past...
GUGUSAR, INGIBJÖRG TURCHI, SALÓME KATRÍN, SKOFFÍN, ULTRAFLEX and VOLRUPTUS received the Kraumur Music Awards for the year 2020. Our gratulations to all the winners! The Kraumur Music Awards were awarded for the 13th...
Kraumsverðlaunin verða afhent í þrettánda sinn nú í desember þar sem verðlaun verða veitt fyrir þær íslensku hljómplötur sem þykja hafa skarað fram úr á árinu hvað varðar gæði, metnað og...
Aurora foundation and Sierra Leone Adult Education Association (SLADEA) recently signed a new agreement regarding operations at the Lettie Stuart Pottery. The agreement, amongst other things, includes support from the...
Last week, we organised a ‘get-ready-for-Christmas-market’ in Freetown! For 2 days we transformed Aurora’s office to a marketplace where different goods were sold, all made by artisans we cooperate with!...
We are very excited to introduce the second Cohort of our Pre-Accelerator Program to you! After reading many great applications and having loads of interesting interviews, we are proud to introduce...
INSIGHT magazine visited us at Aurora and went on a trip to Waterloo to see the Lettie Stuart Pottery learn about our Sweet Salone project and the story behind the...
Exactly two years ago, 18 musicians from the UK, Iceland and Sierra Leone met up for the first time in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and started their journey together at the...
Recently we have released a documentary about Hugdetta, one of the designers that works with Aurora Foundation on the Sweet Salone project. Hugdetta is a product and interior design company based...
Aurora Foundation has concluded its first Beginner ICT course in Freetown, Sierra Leone after the COVID-19 outbreak started last February! Now with only 9 students in our training so we...
Last week, Yasmin Metz-Johnson, founder of Yasmin Tells, visited the Lettie Stuart Pottery Centre in Waterloo, where she led a workshop on how to market the pottery products! With the...
Last Tuesday, October 13th 2020 to be precise, marked the day our first Cohort graduated from the Pre-Accelerator Program! All seven startups went through a rollercoaster over the past months...
Yesterday was the premiere of the documentary The Hero‘s Journey to the Third Pole. The film is about living with bipolar disorder, and it includes both songs and elephants. It...
Last weekend, Suzanne took a roadtrip to the Tonkolili district to visit two entrepreneurs from our Pre-Accelerator Programme! On Saturday, she visited Mohamed, who produces rice in the village Magbas,...
‘’When Music Speaks, Everybody Understands’’ Music Diplomacy, founded by Paolo Petrocelli, shares stories on music diplomacy from all over the world. The blog community launched in May 2020, and so...
It’s exactly one year ago that the first song from USUSU was released! Artists from the UK, Iceland and Sierra Leone started their journey together in November 2018, when 17...
Since last week, the office of Aurora is again open daily! We could not be happier to have the whole team back together in Freetown and continue to work on...
We are back! Last week, Regina and Suzanne were on a flight back to Freetown after being away for 5 months, and after the mandatory COVID-tests (which were all negative!),...
Aurora is proud to announce that we recently signed a contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iceland about co-financing further support of the Lettie Stuart Pottery (LSP) in...
Some people might know that Aurora’s office has been equipped with a large solar grid from Easy Solar, but did you know that we also work with Easy Solar to...
Aurora has recently signed an agreement with Mengi about cooperation over the next couple of years. Mengi is a multi-purpose event space managed by artists in Reykjavik, Iceland, and has...
The current COVID-19 pandemic has caused social and economic disruption around our globe. As well as other countries, Sierra Leone has also taken measurements to minimize spreading of the disease....
Aurora Foundation has been an active participant in the arts and crafts industry through our Sweet Salone project. Icelandic designed goods produced in Sierra Leone have been sold in various...
About 8 weeks ago, we kicked off our Pre-Accelerator programme with 7 start-ups. This means that we are almost half way through the programme, so a good reason to reflect a...
Last Friday, on the 7th of February, we were able to hand out another 14 certificates to the participants of our Beginner ICT course! Besides the certificates, we were able to...
While February arrived, so did our first cohort for our Pre-Accelerator programme! As you have probably read on our website in November (if not, you can still read it here!),...
On the 23rd of January 2007, The Aurora Foundation was established by Ólafur Ólafssón and Ingibjörg Kristjánsdóttir. Now, 13 years later, we are celebrating the work of our foundation with...
We are only two weeks into the new year, but what a way to start the new year! For the past two weeks, Eva María Árnadóttir and Tinna Gunnarsdóttir visited...
Dear all, With this post we would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support and partnerships, and to wish you a happy new year! We...
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of visiting the Freetown Female Correctional Centre (FFCC), where we donated four desktops to their computer room. The FFCC is one of Sierra Leone’s female...
Our congratulations to the Kraumur Music Awards winners of 2019 ♥♥ Between Mountains – Between Mountains Bjarki – Happy Earthday Gróa – Í glimmerheimi Hlökk – Hulduljóð K.óla – Allt verður alltílæ...
Today another 10 Sierra Leoneans have graduated from our beginner ICT course! The past two weeks, these students have been dedicating their time to understand ICT skills needed to operate...
Aurora is proud to announce that today Aurora´s Music Fund, Kraumur, announced the 2019 short list for the Kraumur Music Award. It is an annual music prize awarded for the...
Technovation is a global tech education nonprofit, which’ aim is to empower girls and families. Every year, Technovation hosts numerous programs around the world, during which girls between the age...
Aurora Impact looks for motivated and excited Sierra Leoneans to participate in our intensive four-month business pre-accelerator program, with the first program commencing in February 2020. The program will provide...
We are happy to announce that all 19 students of our Intermediate ICT course have received their certificate last Friday. After an intense 2,5 hours during which the students needed to...
From the 9th – 17th of January 2020 Aurora Foundation is organising a fashion design course in cooperation with Listaháskóli íslands, the Iceland University of the Arts. The focus of...
Today Aurora Foundation donated 20 computers and monitors to Leaders Collage. The computers will be used to establish a new IT lab that will be named Leaders’ College-Aurora Foundation Lab. Paul Jibateh,...
This morning, 19 people joined us at our office and started their Intermediate ICT course! They will be with us for the upcoming 3 weeks, learning everything there is to...
Last Saturday, a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iceland visited our office. While enjoying our beautiful premises and some local Sierra Leonean snacks (plantain chips! 🍌), the...
Aurora will be holding a new ICT course in October 2019. This time the focus will be on Microsoft Office and Google docs. The change from the previous courses is...
Aurora is proud to announce that the first song from the collaboration OSUSU is out. The first song is WOMAN, featuring Hildur, Cell7, Daniel Bangura and Mohammed Kamara. It all...
Almost a year ago we invited 18 different musicians to meet up and spend a week together at a small guesthouse just outside of Freetown. The musicians were from Iceland,...
We welcome Suzanne to our great little team at Aurora Foundation in Freetown. We are so happy to have her on board – she will be leading large part of...
Great crowd filled the room listening to tale about Aurora´s projects in the creative industry in Sierra Leone. Aurora wants to thank Guðbjörg Káradóttir for her great presentation and the...
For the past few weeks, the Pottery Center has been even more busy than usual. A solar panel system has been set up in the Center, giving a long waited...
Aurora recently decided to support the Magbenteh Community Boarding School again with its School Feeding Programme. For the 2017/2018 academic year, a feeding programme for 186 students and 10 staff...
The Lettie Stuart Pottery School started at the beginning of March 2019. There were 10 excited students who came for the first day and got introduced to the staff of...
Another week of amazing creativity as our Sweet Salone project continues in full swing. Collaborators in our Sweet Salone project, the amazing designers in As We Grow (AWG) visited Sierra...
Today Aurora signed a new loan agreement with Grassroots Gender Empowerment Movement (GGEM) a Sierra Leonean Microfinance Institution that we have been supporting since 2014. This is the third loan...
Yesterday the Lettie Stuart pottery center was formally launched with all major stakeholders in the Waterloo area. Around 100 persons came to see the newly rehabilitated center and to learn...
There has been a lot of creativity in the air over the last few days as ideas have been shared, discussions have taken place and laughter and positiveness has surrounded...
Dear partners and supporters We wish you a happy New Year – may joy and happiness follow you We thank you for your partnership and support over the past few...
Our congratulations to the Kraumur Music Awards winners of 2018 ♥♥ Auður – Afsakanir bagdad brothers – JÆJA. Elli Grill – Pottþétt Elli Grill GDRN – Hvað ef Kælan Mikla – Nótt...
Aurora is proud to announce that today Aurora´s Music Fund, Kraumur, announced the 2018 short list for the Kraumur Music Award. It is an annual music prize awarded for the...
The first ever Freetown Music Writing Week was held during the week of 28th of October to 3rd of November 2018. During the week Icelandic, English and Sierra Leonean musicians...
We are happy to share the Final report we received from the Magbenteh Community Boarding School, but earlier this year we supported their School Feeding programme. Aurora Final Report
For the past two weeks the Lettie Stuart Pottery has been buzzing with life. A new project, re-establishing the pottery center and setting up a pottery school is in the...
Sierra Leone, a country of 7 million people with a wealth of natural resources, should – in theory – be rich. Not only do its waters team with diverse fish...
The aim of our project Sweet Salone is to promote and help develop the field of crafts and design in Sierra Leone, mainly through collaboration with Icelandic designers. To introduce the skillful Sierra Leonen...
Aurora Foundation recently signed an agreement with The Swiss – Sierra Leone Development Foundation (SSLDF) to support a school-feeding programme in the Magbenteh Community Boarding School. The school is based in the...
The Nordic design group 1+1+1 has published an Online Magazine on their collaboration with Aurora Foundation. Starting in 2017, 1+1+1 have been participating in Aurora Foundation’s Sweet Salone project, teaming up with talented Sierra Leonean craftspeople in...
Yesterday, a new collection of houseware products made by Sierra Leonen craftspeople and designed by the Icelandic-Swedish-Finnish design team 1+1+1 was launched at DesignMarch, Iceland‘s biggest design festival. The collaboration between the...
We hereby invite you to the opening of Sweet Salone & 1+1+1 on Wednesday, March 14th at 17:00 in Mengi, Óðinsgötu 2, 101 Reykjavik. There we will be celebrating a...
The Reykjavik Grapevine Magazine’s annual Design Awards seek to recognize and reward the best of design in Iceland. It is therefore with great pride that we announce that our project Sweet...
In February Aurora Foundation signed an agreement with the Swiss – Sierra Leone Development Foundation to support a school-feeding programme in the Magbenteh Community Boarding School. The school was founded...
Aurora Foundation was established on 23. January 2007. Looking back, it is nice to see how much we have accomplished through the years. To date, we have supported and implemented...
The sales of products designed and produced through the cooperation between Icelandic designers and Sierra Leonean craftspeople has exceeded all our expectations. The collaboration is a part of the project...
We are extremely grateful for the warm attention we received at the double opening of Aurora’s Sweet Salone project and Sense of Place photo exhibition, marking the 10th anniversary of...
Aurora finished yet another successful free ICT course in Freetown, Sierra Leone now in November. This was our third free ICT course aimed at supporting young Sierra Leoneans in improving...
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Aurora Foundation we invite you to the opening of SWEET SALONE, Wednesday 15th November at 6:00PM in KronKron Laugavegur 63 (entrance is from...
Aurora Foundation is very excited about its new project, building a bridge between designers and crafts makers in Iceland and Sierra Leone. It has been an absolute joy to see...
Please click on the link below for the full information regarding the internship Aurora-Foundation-seeks-Intern
Around 400 bodies have been found so far in the wake of the mudslide catastrophy, a large part of it children, but at least 600 are unaccounted for. Aurora has...
Today is a big day for Aurora Foundation here in Sierra Leone with the opening of a new office in Freetown. Aurora has been actively supporting various projects in Sierra...
Aurora has donated 20 hospital beds to three different hospitals in Sierra Leone. Some were donated to the Koidu Government Hospital (KGH) in Kono, but Aurora has supported several projects...
Aurora has had a good and successful cooperation with Deloitte Iceland over the past years. Deloitte Iceland has taken care of Aurora’s auditing and its Financial Reports as well as...
Aurora foundation has been putting greater emphasis on supporting development projects. Newly funded projects have mainly been in Sierra Leone, but Aurora is still supporting projects elsewhere in the world....
The third and final part of the computer project took place this morning when Aurora donated five computers to Life by Design. Life by Design is a Center for Entrepreneurship...
Aurora Foundation rolled out its second ICT project this week, after a successful pilot project earlier in the year. The project, an ICT course, was done in cooperation with iDT...
24.11.2016 There was a joyful moment when Aurora, in collaboration with Arion Bank and Samskip, donated 10 Computers, 5 large Screens and various other IT equipment to the University of ...
6.11.2016 Aurora has cooperated with UNICEF in Sierra Leone since the fund’s establishment in 2007, and has supported educational project for 2,1m USD. Considering education as a human right and...
Aurora is proud to announce that the bathroom facilities in Funkia, Goderich have finally been opened up for the public. The whole community was in a festive mood this morning...
Since its establishment in 2007, Aurora Foundation’s aim has been to support musicians and designers in Iceland. To serve that goal the Kraumur music fund and Aurora Design Fund were...
The British newspaper The Independent recently released its coverage of a problem that many West-African countries currently struggle with; fish stocks, important for human consumption, “being snatched by foreign food companies...
Hrossaraekt.is is an information organization that aims to provide comprehensive information concerning everything related to the Icelandic Horse; both in Iceland and abroad. Once a year they organize a well-attended...
A new loan agreement was signed between Aurora and Grassroot Gender Empowerment Movement (GGEM) in Freetown on 2nd June 2016. The goal of this new agreement is to support individuals...
Aurora foundation in partnership with SAMSKIP and Idt labs conducted a free ICT training course in March for 85 people in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The target group was young people...
Today Aurora Foundation signed an agreement with the local council in Goderich, Sierra Leone to build 8 communal latrines and two bathing facilities in an area in Goderich where such...
The year 2015 was a good year for Aurora Foundation and marked the eight operation year of the Foundation. Seven different projects, both in Iceland and abroad, received in total...
The artists awarded with the annual Kraumur music awards for the year 2015, are: Dj flugvél og geimskip for their third album Nótt á hafsbotni, Mr. Silla for Mr. Silla,...
Mr. Aruna Sesay is the owner of Macro Investment, a supplier of computer accessories and stationeries. Through a microcredit loan of SLL 40 Million (ca. $7800) from Aurora Foundation through...
The first step in getting the landing site in Tombo, Sierra Leone up and running was taken 25th September 2015, when Neptune, partially owned by Aurora, started selling ice to...
Mary Roberts is one of the micro- entrepreneurs who received a loan from GGEM (Grassroots Gender Empowerment Movement) through the funding of Aurora Foundation. Mary obtained an SLL 3 Million...
After serving as the director of Aurora Foundation for five years, Mrs. Auður Einarsdóttir has left her post in August, and moved to the Nederlands with her family. Aurora foundation has,...
Regína has been the Head of Research at Arion bank, one of the largest banks in Iceland, since November 2013. Previously she worked as an economist in the Economic department...
Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma the First Lady of Sierra Leone sent a thank you note to the Chairman of Aurora Foundation Ólafur Ólafsson. In the letter she thanks Aurora and...
The press in Sierra Leone has been talking about Aurora´s support to Ebola related projects that are a cooperation of Aurora Foundation and the First Lady. Part of Aurora´s support...
Musicians and bands, designers and architects came together in a futuresque city, a pop-up event organized by Kraumur and Aurora Design fund in the Reykjavik Art Museum on 14. March....
Aurora foundation has signed an agreement with the government of Sierra Leone and the private company Neptune Holding on the operation of four fish landing sites in the country. The...
Aurora Foundation recently announced the vacancy of Director of Development, for its upcoming development projects in Sierra Leone. Over 150 applicants from Iceland applied for the post, and 50 from...
Today, six artists and bands were presented with the annual Kraumur music awards for the year 2014. This year’s winners are Óbó, for their album Innhverfi, Pink Street boys for...
Eight design initiatives have been chosen from 50 applications to receive grants from the Aurora Design Fund this autumn. Following is the list of grantees: Hildur Yeoman receives a grant...
The Aurora Foundation on Monday 17th November 2014 signed loan agreements with two microfinance companies – Grassroot Gender Empowerment Movement (GGEM) and A Call to Business – operating in Sierra...
Representatives of the Aurora Foundation paid a courtesy call on the President of Sierra Leone Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma at State House based on an invitation from the First Lady,...
Aurora has formally donated 2000 kilos of medicines and medical supplies for the treatment of Ebola patients to the republic of Sierra Leone through the First Lady Mrs. Sia Nyama...
Aurora Board has decided to put 150 thousand euros in emergency measures to fight the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. The majority of the amount is being used to purchase...
Today a new contract for sponsorship was made with UNICEF Iceland in which Aurora Fund continues its support to the education and protection of children in one of the poorest...
There were lively discussions about challenges and opportunities in population development at a symposium about the project ‘Wind of Change’ held in Iðnó and the Gasstation by Hlemmur on 24...
Seven designers and design initiatives received grants from the Aurora Design Fund this spring. Following is the list of grantees: Hæg breytileg átt is a new housing development project, focusing on progressive,...
Today Kraumur Music Fund allocates ISK 7.3 million to Icelandic artists and projects that are planned for the year 2014. These are diverse projects by artists that will travel extensively...
The largest project Aurora has signed on to is the five year educational project in the West African country Sierra Leone, that Aurora supported in cooperation with UNICEF in Iceland...
On this year’s Kraumur List there were seven exceptional albums by ambitious musicians. The year 2013 in music was diverse and exciting and all the albums that were nominated for...
This time the fund received 70 applications from all fields of design. A special emphasis was on architecture and the project HÆG BREYTILEG ÁTT (English: Wind of Change) which Aurora...
This year there will be two allocations and this is the first one. The second one will be later in the year, only to developmental projects. ISK 48.3 million goes...
At the last DesignMarch Aurora Design Fund introduced a new project within the field of population and residential development. The idea is to have a platform for exchanging ideas, where...
The Kraumur List 2012, the Kraumur Music Fund’s annual award for albums was introduced today. There are six albums on the Kraumur List, all of the highest quality. This is...
There was excitement in the air at the Aurora Fund headquarters when the Design Fund allocated ISK 6.5 million. Ostwald Helgason, Spark Design Space and the product design project Textasíða...
The ASCHOBI design brand was premiered at the fashion week in Paris and received very positive response. Aurora Fund sponsored the business plan for 2009 for the designer Adama Kai...
Seven exceptional projects receive grants in the first allocation of two from the Aurora Design Fund in 2012. Among them were the designer duo Ostwald Helgason, Eygló and the children’s...
The Aurora Fund’s fifth allocation took place on 15 February when ISK 85 million were allocated to Aurora’s Design Fund, Kraumur Music Fund and UNICEF. The board of Aurora Fund...
The Kraumur List 2011 The Kraumur Music Fund’s annual award for albums was introduced today. The six albums that were selected to be on the list are all exceptional; they...
Twenty albums have been selected to be on the Élite List of the Kraumur List 2011 and the selection committee then selects 5-6 prize albums for the Kraumur List. The...
Aurora Design Fund is at a turning point in its operation and together with some of its recipients will share their experience in a series of talks at the Iceland...
ISK 6 million was allocated to exceptional designers and their projects. A total of ISK 17.5 million has been allocated from the fund in 2011. This time continued support was...
Kraumur Music Fund introduces the allocation of grants to Icelandic artists and projects this summer, autumn and winter 2011. Over ISK 2 million is allocated to six projects introducing Icelandic...
Kraumur Music Fund introduces the allocation of grants to artists and projects. Larger and fewer grants. Pascal Pinon and Retro Stefson received the largest grants. A total of ISK 9...
Bóas Kristjánsson, HAF, The origin, history and development of the letter “ð” as well as other exciting projects will receive grants for over ISK 11 million from Aurora Design Fund....
The Research Centre of Creative Fields at the Business Research of the University of Iceland introduced on 13 March a performance assessment of the operation of Aurora Design Fund and...
Today, 16 February 2011 Aurora Fund allocates for the fourth time ISK 100 million to six projects within the field of humanities, education and culture in Iceland and in Sierra...
The autumn allocation of the Aurora Design Fund allocates ISK 6 million to four projects. This is the fifth allocation from the fund since it was established on 13 February...
Last year Aurora fund sponsored UNICEF Iceland’s project in Mozambique. It is a prize winning radio project with children and young people in Mozambique. In order to give you an...
The arts and culture centre for puppet arts was formally opened at Borgarnes yesterday in the old co-op buildings at Englendingavík by Brákarsund. Puppets of all shapes and sizes can...
Kraumur Music Fund announced on 15 April its first allocations and support to the Icelandic music scene, musicians and bands for the year 2010. Twenty artists and band receive direct...
The board of the Aurora Fund announced last week, March 16th, its decision to allocate USD 800 thousand in support of four projects in the field of humanitarian aid, education,...
Eight designers and architects received a grant of total ISK 7,880,000 kr from Aurora Design Fund yesterday 17th February. The Design Fund received 62 applications in the fields of architecture,...
We waited anxiously at the check-in desk at London’s Heathrow Airport, eight men and women on our way to Freetown, Sierra Leone, early in November. The tension rose a notch...
The Board of the Aurora Fund has allocated ISK 111.5 million in support of six projects in the field of humanitarian aid, education and culture in Iceland as well as...
“May the Aurora Fund open the way for all to see beyond the horizon!” said Ingibjörg Kristjánsdóttir, Board Chairperson of Aurora, among other things when she opened the meeting at the...
The Board of Aurora Charity Fund announced today its decision to allocate a total of ISK 210 million to the fund’s first projects. The couple Ingibjörg Kristjánsdóttir, landscape architect, and...
The formation of a philanthropic foundation, which was later given the name Aurora, was announced at a news conference held at Hotel Borg in Reykjavík on 20 January 2007. The...
