ethical shopping

XO Earrings | Day 9 | 12 Days Shopping Fair Trade

January 30, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

It’s a common signature; x’s and o’s. They are classic symbols that represent love, care and affection.

These earrings from Karama Collection add subtle chic to any look. They can be given as a sweet romantic gift (nudge-nudge, hubby, wink-wink).

They can serve as a reminder that we are loved and thereby prompting us to show love to others.

In Nairobi, three artisan women are employed in the crafting of these earrings from metals and beads. Through Karama Collection, their lives are being changed.

The lead artisan, Eunice, is the main jewelry maker as well as a designer. Once unemployed, after losing her job as a social worker, she is now moving up through the company. She enjoys her work as it allows her to be creative.

How proud she must be to be earning an income from creating these stylish studs earrings, forged from recycled brass.

There is something beautifully symbolic here. Because of Christ’s love for us, He submitted to go through the flames in our place. And through this redemption, we have been repurposed from a life of sin without God, to an abundant life restored to the Father.

We reflect this love when we remember the oppressed and the downtrodden. We can show marginalized women around the world that they are loved, not forgotten, when we do something as simple as give them our business.

🛍: $22USD

Fair Trade Bracelets Are Changing Lives in Kenya

January 28, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but I’m am slowly growing a collection of fair trade bracelets! And I just love these sticking ones that are made with glass massai beads from Kenya. It creates such a unique look!

But more precious still is that these fair trade bracelets are an answer to prayer to the women of Have Hope.

Have Hope was originally a community outreach program lead by Mercy House Global in 2010. Twenty women from the slum would gather together for bible study. This beautifully developed into an artisan group.

They began making jewelry to earn a sustainable income for their families. Because of the desperate need for work, these mothers are eager to learn and grow in their skills.

As we have hopes and dreams for our own family, they do for theirs, too!

So when you buy a product from Have Hope (there are many to choose from), you are partnering with a strong and ambitious group of women in Kenya.

Your purchasing power helps a mother, like you, send her children to school, put food on the table, and rise out of extreme poverty.

And here is one little hack! These fair trade stacking bracelets are on sale right now. If you buy 2, you can break them up into smaller sets. Then as you share these gifts, you can share their story!

Did you know that shopping fair trade can help prevent human trafficking? Read this article for more information.

🛍: $10USD

Market Tote Bag | Day 6 | 12 Days Shopping Fair Trade

January 25, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

I am going to be transparent here for a minute. I am terrible at remembering to bring reusable bags with me to the grocery store…

I’ve never been a fan of the big boxy plastic ones, that for some reason always have bits of dried onion peel at the bottom.

I’ve realized that I need a system that I can run on autopilot.

Enter in the fair trade market tote bags from Mercy House Global!

What’s perfect about these bags is they fold up neatly, making them quite compact.

For myself, I can say I will be forgetting my bags far less if I always have a few of these in my purse!

They are also extremely versatile. Bags like these also lend themselves as a library book bag, winter hat & mittens catch-all, gym bag, diaper bag, sewing bag, anything really.

This bundle comes in a variety of bold and colourfully patterned fabrics. All of these bags are fair trade and help Kenyan women provide for their families.

Beyond the fact that they are functional and versatile, these bags serve as a tangible reminder to be intentionally grateful, and to take advantage of every opportunity to share these women’s stories.

You can use your voice for the voiceless in the glorious mundane.

If you have any concerns to the quality and durability of these totes, you can head over to Mercy House Global Online Marketplace and read the 28 customer reviews (all 5 star)!

🛍: $18USD

“Trash” Soccer Ball | Day 5 | 12 Days Shopping Fair Trade

January 25, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

There is debate on whether or not parents should use the “children starving in Africa” ultimatum to get their kids to clean their plate or be more grateful.

It’s an old strategy. When my mother was growing up in the 40’s & 50’s, my great-grandmother would find occasion to remind her about the starving Armenians.

I agree that we shouldn’t use someone’s suffering as a means to manipulate our children. However, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that if we do not educate our sons and daughters on how other children live, they will develop and come of age with an eschewed perspective of the world.

We are the top 1% of the world. Our lifestyle isn’t reflected by the majority. We are the fringe. And I think our children need to understand this as they pass through their milestones; even if it is only at a high level to begin with.

Children definitely learn best with a hands-on practical example. This “trash” soccer ball is an excellent tool that we can gift our children with.

Each soccer ball is made from garbage bags by women in Kenya. They use this income to put food on the table for their children.

It’s an interesting cycle of events. We, as mothers in North America, can purchase a fair trade soccer ball from another mother in Kenya. We buy it because we’re trying to keep our kids from becoming entitled. She makes them because she’s trying to keep her kids from starving.

If you are serious about training your kids to be grateful adults, I highly recommend these books by Kristen Welch:

“Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World” by Kristen Welch

“Raising World Changers in a Changing World” by Kristen Welch

And I highly recommend buying the “trash” soccer ball for the young children in your life as a gentle and relatable way of introducing this topic to them (if it is a new concept). Mercy House Global Marketplace also has a collection of children’s items you can choose from as well.

🛍: $6USD