Fair trade gifts are the gifts that keep on giving
Forbes ran a great story about a company which has tapped into people’s concern about people in Third World countries being paid fairly for their work. Ten Thousand Villages works with over 130 artisan groups in 38 countries who make fair trade jewellery, home decor, gifts, clothing and other items and is considered one of the largest companies in this field (it netted $US24 million in sales in 2009, up from $US10 million in 2000). In addittion to its website, it also has bricks-and-mortar stores in upscale neighbourhoods to reach the affluent gift-buyer.
There are a lot of fantastic fair trade websites out there! Here is a not-exhaustive list of 44 other fair trade websites (let me know about others!) that you might like to know about for truly unusual anniversary, birthday, christening, Christmas, engagement, housewarming, Valentines Day and wedding gifts that will help to support artisans in developing countries..
These ones feature artisans’ works from a number of countries
Pachacuti (I want their amethyst & blue topaz necklace), A Better Footprint (little boys will love the recycled cans made into toy cars), Global Goods Partners (how cute is their hot pink dog collar?!) Global Sister Goods (make Christmas an international affair with their Zulu nativity set), Serrv (I’m loving their Neela bright blue ceramic tile towel hooks), World Next Door (I love their Zulusports brightly coloured bracelets), World of Good (created by eBay), Trade As One (see their sweet children’s elephant puzzle), Manos de Madres (my niece would love their dresses), Gifts With Humanity (the Tree of Life wall art made from recycled oil drums is very now), Five Accessories, Fair Trade Marketplace, One World Projects (you’ve gotta see their gift baskets!), Global Exchange Store (check out their ingenious baby pumice stone feet), Pangea Collection (intricate artisan jewellery), World Shoppe (check out their pretty greeting cards from Bangladesh), Generation Wonder (your little girl might like their pink heart purse), and Brindabella Baby.
Central & South America
Ecobre of Mexico makes beautiful hand-hammered copper items, including unique copper kitchen sinks), Pueblito (it sells a range of South American jewellery including a striking seed necklace), Propueblo (their banana husk tissue box from Ecuador could make a great housewarming gift), Mayan Hands (check out the purple chenille shawl), Maya Works (the children’s backpacks are great value), Shop Mayu (see their beautiful alpaca throws), Partners for Just Trade (they’ve got some fun animal pillows in Spanish – great for kids), Inca Kids (check out their handknitted cupcakes), Kusikuy (Bolivia and Peru), Basura Bags (they make amazingly colourful bags and totes from 100% chip packets in Honduras – quite striking and a cool way to clean up the streets).
Africa
Shea Yeleen, Baskets of Africa (stunning grass baskets), Bridge for Africa (I’m loving their cool telephone wire baskets), Suubi(hope) (check out their particularly funky t-shirts), Indego Africa (be a geek with a conscience using their laptop sleeve made in Rwanda), Rwanda Baskets, Leakey Collection (eye-catching necklaces made by the Maasi in Kenya), and Tropical Items (out-of-the-ordinary raffia hats made in Madagascar).
Asia
Rupalee (fantastic Christmas decorations), Tilonia (lovely cotton tablecloths), Mata Traders (great accessories and clothing from India), Orijyn (Laos silver and silks), Wear Gianna (from India, Laos and Thailand), and Brag Bags (which makes beautiful bags in Vietnam – my favourite is the overnight bag).
There are also some others you might like to visit, including Make Piece (which sells pretty jewellery made by African-American women living below the poverty line in Washington DC), Shanti Boutique (see their Buddhist jewellery), and Taraluna (which has a variety of fair trade items, including a wooden earring stand made in India).
Tags: anniversary gifts, baby gifts, baby shower gifts, bargain-hunting, birthday gifts, christening gifts, Christmas gifts, engagement, gift shopping, housewarming, social cause gift, Valentines Day, wedding gifts
Me and my girlfriend are having our 4 year anniversary! I’m trying to save up to get her a nice present, my website strives to help everyone earn better presents for all loved ones!
http://www.MitchNGo.com
Thanks,
Mitch
Thank you for including http://www.World-Shoppe.com in your article! We strive to offer our customers unique, handmade and fairly traded gifts that they would love to give as birthday gifts, wedding gifts, shower gifts, holiday gifts, etc. that really make a difference in the lives of our artisan partners.
Having returned from South Africa last month, I can share the stories of our artisan partners with our clients and let them know their purchase really does make a difference.
Thank you again for sharing this article with your readers!
-Megy Karydes, Founder
http://www.World-Shoppe.com
A great gift for an anniversary, birthday, or just to say I love you, get a Smilebook at Smilebooks.com
http://www.smilebooks.com/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=pv&utm_content=zs&utm_campaign=home
Thanks for including us at http://globalsistergoods.com/ in your article! On our site, shoppers can also learn about women’s issues in the countries where we have partner artisans, and dedicate a portion of their purchase to one of several nonprofits working for women’s rights around the world.
Thank you for including http://www.shopmayu.com in your gift guide! We offer one-of-a-kind Alpaca accessories that are super soft and really cute. They make great additions to any outfit. For further information on eco-friendly alpaca fiber, visit http://www.whatisalpaca.com.
Happy Holidays!
Kate Robertson
Founder, Mayu
http://www.shopmayu.com
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Dog Toys and Clothes
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[...] produced – there are thousands of companies who buy fascinating things from artisans in developing countries, paid a fair wage for their products. Sweatshops in Malaysia don’t [...]
[...] produced – there are thousands of companies who buy fascinating things from artisans in developing countries, paid a fair wage for their products. Sweatshops in Malaysia don’t [...]