Ancient symbols of love and beauty, roses can also be symbols of hope for women farm workers! Before the last petal falls from your Valentine’s rose, here’s an interesting article that tells the real story.

Everyone loves chocolates. We consume more than 3 million tons a year. Many holidays throughout the year provide a spike in sales of the delicious treat, including Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Halloween and Christmas. Most, however, don’t consider the fact that 200,000 children in West Africa work under forced labor conditions on cocoa farms to help produce those chocolates we enjoy, according to the United Nation’s Children’s Fund.

BeadforLife’s Peppermint Lip Balm is not a bead, and it certainly isn’t made out of recycled paper, but it’s helping Ugandan women just the same!

Immersed in El Salvador working with small farmers Monika had a conversation with Jonathan Rosenthal, co-founder of Equal Exchange, which would impact her life for years to come, it was her first exposure to this concept of “fair trade”. At the time it sounded kind of crazy to her…. Little did she imagine that several years later she’d be working in Chiapas, Mexico facilitating this crazy new concept “fair trade”!

If Smokey could talk he’d tell you how much he loves his Organic Catnip Mouse! Made with traditional Mayan cotton then filled with organic catnap, your cat will appreciate having a Fair Trade gift this holiday season!

Project Have Hope’s
Recycled Glass and Mixed Media Bracelets are fun and easy to wear!  If you’re looking for a gift for the difficult teen, or the women that has everything, then look no further!
Made by …

HandCrafting Justice’s Fish Pillow has an abundantly rich feel with a hand embroidered applique ! It’s vibrant design complements any chair, sofa or bed! The body of the fish is a patchwork of locally batiked fibers in differing sizes and shapes. Each patch is intricately joined together by a band of hand stitching, much like the network of female artisans who make these creations working through a network of co-operatives .

It’s cold, raining & windy in New England,which means it’s great weather for snuggling on the settee with a cup of Fair Trade hot cocoa! Here’s a recap of this week’s news, blogs, and stories to keep you going for the weekend. Enjoy!