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Purchasing power is political: use it to change the world!
When you shop for gifts via free trade sources, you support
economic equality, help end child labor, and empower women and
girls abroad. The Shop For Change store
is full of products created by talented craftswomen who live
in areas of conflict and post-conflict. The sponsors, US
Women Without Borders and the Women's Funding Network, offer
many practical ways to make a difference in the lives of
women and girls globally. Baskets. Katie Doyle co-founded Virunga Artisans to
benefit craftspeople in Rwanda, Uganda and the Republic
of Congo who live near the Volcanoes National Park
where the last 700 mountain gorillas reside. The fair trade
income from their baskets, carvings, coffee and tea provide
the artisans with a livelihood that makes it unnecessary to intrude on the gorilla’s habitat.
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Next time you settle down with your
café latte at Starbucks, know
that the company will devote part of the money you spent to educating
kids in the very places you see on coffee labels in their stores:
Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Guatemala, Ethiopia. Starbucks invested
$1million in schools in their coffee growing areas last year. Not
bad for a company where 1/3 of the VP+ level officers are women.
If you are in one of their stores in 30 countries right now, use
their wireless connections and click
here to read their Annual Report on Corporate Social Responsibility.
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 Give
the gift that furthers peace. The
Jerusalem Candle of Hope was
made by women in Israel and Palestine who are working together
in an unusual joint venture. Embedded in the wax are olive leaves
and indigenous, ever lasting flowers; an embroidered bag contains
a tea light candle that fits inside the larger candle and extends
its life. The gift is exclusively available
from The Amber Chand Collection, which supports craftswomen in areas
of conflict and post-conflict, helping generate income, dialogue, reconciliation
and understanding.MORE |
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Barbara Jackson, Shirley
Fintz, and Mataphelo Ngaka founded Monkey
Biz to market beadwork created by 300 disadvantaged
Xhosa women who live in Khayelitsha, an impoverished township in
Cape Town. The beaders work at home so they can look after their
families and avoid transportation costs, but all proceeds go directly
to them. Their amusing beaded dollies have been exhibited at Sotheby’s.
The Monkey Biz book, created to educate South Africans about HIV/AIDS,
is illustrated with their dolls and comes with a CD of their songs. |
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The “Sweatshop-free
Sneaker has arrived from the Best little union shop in Jakarta,
Indonesia,” Global Exchange advertises:
“Help us make history.” Their stores operate according
to Fair Trade criteria and offer a corporate gift program. National
Geographic has just introduced its first Home Collection,
2500 pieces that the Society’s explorers and photographers
have collected. There are indigenous crafts, linens, fine furnishings,
maps, and all kinds of treasures. All proceeds go to preserve cultures
of the world. |
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Laxmi Nakarmi, is the proprietor of Sisters’ Creations, Perfect Corn-Husk
Handicraft in Kathmandu. She was trained by Swati in Kathmandu, which is featured in Women Who Light the Dark’s Nepal chapter, and is a creative entrepreneur
whose product line includes dolls, key chain fobs and Christmas tree ornaments--in fact, almost anything you would like her to design from this eco-conscious material. MORE |
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Three impressive nonprofit organizations market everything from purses to pillowcases covered with folkloric Indian embroidery created by traditionalcraftswomen in Gujarat, a state plagued by poverty, floods and droughts.
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Shop
on line at iGive and
they will donate a percentage of your purchase to your favorite
charity. More than 500 retailers participate, including Amazon,
Gap, eBay, FTD, Good Guys, Hallmark, Lane Bryant, Horchow, JC
Penney, Macy’s. Office Depot, and others like AOL, United
Airlines, The New York Times. In Her Shoes. The profits from this boutique go to
the Global Fund for Women. Shop for shoes from
ballet flats to boots (priced from $30 to $300 a pair),
bags and belts—or treat yourself to a manicure and pedicure. |
