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. :)
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 so cute. If you've seen me running around with my navy floral purse, this is where it came from!
Mercy House Kenya - A maternity home in Kenya that provides maternity and post-natal care, as well as vocational training and much more. You can subscribe to a monthly box of fair trade goodies, or just shop for jewelry, cards, t-shirts, bags, etc. How sweet is this nativity set?
Imagine Goods - "We are Imagine Goods, and we partner with vulnerable and marginalized people around the world to make products that, in many cases, give the first fair wages they've ever received." Cute clothes and bags, including some kids' clothes.
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. $25 tote bags like this? Yes please.
Live Fashionable - Empowers women in Africa by providing them with a sustainable business opportunity. Their scarves are gorgeous!!
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."
Yummy Things:
Ticket Chocolate - Uses chocolate from farmers that offer positive working conditions. Who can resist these amazing hot chocolate on a stick things? I ordered some of these last year and whoa. You will not regret it.
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 have a gorgeous, and very reasonably priced, Freedom Collection of jewelry.
Equal Exchange - Fair trade coffee, chocolate, tea, snacks, and other yummies. And they have baking chocolate, at a not-outrageous price (that's a tough find)! Good gift box options too.
For the Kids:
Green Toys - Made in the USA from recycled plastic. Owen has this dump truck and he loves it!
Wildly Co. - Cute kids' tees that won't break the bank.
Lately Lily - A cute picture book about a traveling girl named Lily, and adorable coordinating t-shirts and tote bags. Sweetness!
Three Little Numbers - Awesome t-shirts for kids and grownups alike.
Gifts For Guys:
Good & Fair - Fair trade, organic boxers! T-shirts and scarves too.
The Body Shop - Shaving stuff, soaps, etc. Of course they have lots of stuff for ladies too. Along these lines, Lush is also a great company.
Wallets from Novica
Global Goods Partners - Fair trade ties, made in Cambodia! They also have some CUTE stuff for kids - stuffed animals and little bags and stuff.
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 some super cute stuff, 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.
Also, my new fave Melanie Dale over at unexpected.org is posting lots of links between now and Christmas for her favorite slave-free shopping sites, so keep an eye on her blog for even more goodies. Happy shopping!
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