Last year I kind of got interested in the idea of our Christmas gifts being conscientious purchases, and not just a bunch of plastic junk that was probably made by children and/or slave labor. (Here comes Debbie Downer with her slave labor talk...) I did some research and never could really make heads or tails of which companies treat their workers well, so I gave up and just bought a little bit of plastic and a little bit of good stuff. That seems to be the best I can do at this stage of life. (And let's be honest, it's hard to explain to a 4 year old that the My Little Pony she has her heart set on may or may not have been made in a sweatshop.) But this year I did a little more research, and I think I have a pretty good collection of resources to share with you if you would like your shopping dollars to do more than just fill a box under your tree!
Many of the sites I'm linking to are companies/ministries that employ people in developing countries so that they can have a way to escape poverty, some employ former sex workers or trafficking survivors, and some are just fair trade places. You can figure it out as you click. :) A * means the company is faith-based.
Pretty Things:
* Sak Saum - A Cambodian ministry that provides vocational training; they are “dedicated to the rescue, restoration, transformation and rehabilitation of vulnerable and exploited women and men” . They sell jewelry and scarves, and their purses are GORGEOUS. Look at this adorable "Em" bag!
* Mercy House Kenya - A maternity home in Kenya that provides maternity and post-natal care, as well as vocational training and much more. Beautiful everything - jewelry, cards, t-shirts, and this bag that wants to come to my house ASAP.
* 3 Cords Haiti - "Our mission is to provide opportunities for physically handicapped women and men, and to show them that they are both beautiful and valuable. We do this by training our employees as artisans in a loving, community oriented environment." Beautiful jewelry, bags, laptop cases, and cards.
Live Fashionable - Empowers women in Africa by providing them with a sustainable business opportunity. Their scarves are adorable!! I bought one for my mom last year.
Made By Survivors - As the name implies, they employ trafficking survivors. "100% of profits go to support rescue, aftercare, education and employment." They have really gorgeous jewelry, wallets and ties (hey, something for the boys!), and cute kids’ items. How adorable is this ladybag bag for a little girl?
Noonday Collection: Mostly known for their amazing jewelry, but they also have cute tea towels, stationery and other goodies. "Your fashion sense can now restore dignity to abandoned women in Ethiopia, empower communities in Ecuador, and create business opportunities for Ugandans." It's a little more expensive than some of the other sites I've posted, but come on. Look at this beauty.
Freedom Stones - "An organization dedicated to breaking the chains of poverty and injustice wherever human trafficking exists." This one's made in Cambodia.
Yummy Things:
Ticket Chocolate - Uses chocolate from farmers that offer positive working conditions. (Another Debbie Downer fact - a lot of the chocolate sold in our grocery stores comes from slave labor. Boo.) But who can resist these amazing hot chocolate on a stick things?
* Zoe Coffee - This coffee is fair trade and roasted locally in the D/FW area. Plus proceeds go to Rescue Her, which in turn fights human trafficking around the world! If you didn't already know, I went to Cambodia with Rescue Her, so I highly recommend their organization. Click around their store too - they sell other cool stuff besides coffee.
For the Kids:
Planet Happy - this is more of a green/sustainable focus, but they do say that their products are fairly traded. Plus they have a wide variety of toys that I think kids would actually want! Great selection of art supplies and wooden toys.
Marketplaces:
These sites sell items from many different artisans/companies around the world. If you have a specific gift in mind, check for it here!
Global Girlfriend - All products are made by women, and "each item you buy helps fund a seed money micro-grant through Camfed (Campaign for Female Education) to help a woman in Africa launch a small business venture to support herself and her family." There are clothes, food items, greeting cards, bath/body products and more.
Ten Thousand Villages - "A global network of social entrepreneurs works to empower artisans in developing countries." Beautiful kitchenware, lovely nativity sets and other Christmas items, home decor, and the usual suspects.
Green Heart Shop - Focused on fair trade. Candles, mugs, basketballs/soccer balls, glassware, gift boxes, honey, tea, chocolate, coffee, ornaments, aprons, clothing, toys, you name it.
In Your Name...:
If your gift recipient is the type that would appreciate an “I donated to ___ in your name”, here are some great organizations:
* SHE Rescue Home - I volunteered here while in Cambodia and they are amazing - you can read more about them here. They have a store with a few items, you can donate directly, or how cool would it be to sponsor a girl for a year in someone’s name?! I personally would love that... (hint, hint)
* International Justice Mission - Close to my heart because they rescue trafficked girls, but they do many other wonderful things around the world. Lawyers doing good stuff, hooray!
* Agape International Mission - Rescues and restores trafficked girls in Cambodia
Kiva - Because I think microfinance lending is the coolest. Seriously. You can choose who your money goes to.
* Help One Now - Doing amazing work in Haiti and Africa, working with local pastors along the way. You can donate or sponsor a child.
* World Vision - Kind of the granddaddy of Christian charities, and they do just about everything. They have a great gift catalog too - buy a goat in someone's name!
Still want to shop at your same old places? Make it count!
Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to your favorite charity (I know, it’s peanuts, but it’s something).
Sign up for a Pure Charity account. It's like social networking for charity. You can choose different organizations and projects to follow or support, and once you have their little webapp installed in your browser, different websites where you shop will donate a percentage of your purchase to your PC account. It’s pretty cool.
I hope this is a useful tool for you this Christmas. Pin it, share it, bookmark it, whatever! And even though this post is all about shopping, I hope we can all keep our focus on Christ - after all, there is no greater gift than Him!
Do you have any favorites that I forgot? Post them in the comments!
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