Celebrating 103 Years of Phenomenal Women

The 103 International Women’s Day  is Friday, March 8th, and Ten Thousand Villages of Austin is celebrating all week with events at our store every night this week until 9 pm.

First, a little history…

In 1909, the first National Women’s Day was celebrated in America in accordance with a Socialist Party declaration on February 28th. A year later, the second International Conference of Working Women met in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference had over 100 women from 17 different countries, representing working women’s clubs, unions, and socialists. They all voted in favor of an idea presented by German advocate Clara Zetkin for an International Women’s Day for women all over the world to fight for the rights to equality, voting and holding office.

Clara Zetkin, the mother of International Women’s Day

The first day was celebrated in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switerland on March 19 in 1911; in 1913 it was decided that the date should be moved to March 8th, and has been celebrated on this day since 1914. March 8th is now a recognized holiday in 27 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Russia, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Much progress has been made over the past century; however, the fact remains that women are still paid 30-40% less than men for comparable work. Seventy percent of fair trade artisans are women; the income generated by these women is often the sole income for the woman’s family, and with the fair wage provided by fair trade jobs, women are investing in the education, health, and future of their children, thus ensuring a more promising future.

Africa

Ngong Hills, Kenya

Namayiana means “we are blessed” in Maa

Namayiana was started in 1986 by a group of women of the  Maasai ethnic group of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. The women of Namayiana make beaded jewelry, a tradition that goes back to when “the first Maasai was born.” The Maasai culture places a strong emphasis on body painting, ornamentation and modification to help identify and differentiate individuals. The colors of the beads of the jewelry have special significance: white is peace, blue is water, red is warrior.

Maasai society is strongly patriarchal, with decision-making in the hands of elder men.  The women of Namayiana came together to try to create a way for their children to go to school. Agnes, a Namayiana artisan who recently learned to drive a car, explains:

“We decided as women to own everything and work among ourselves. After driving the car, I came to know that anybody can do anything. I never went to school, but because we have educated our children, we look for a bright future.”

Dzivarasekwa, Zimbabwe

Batsiranai translates to “helping each other” in Shona, the local language. Their motto is “Batsiranai has made us fat and fatter!”

Batsiranai Craft Project was formed in 1998 as a support group of 14 for mothers of disabled children. In Zimbabwe, the disabled and their families are often shunned from society and extended family, forcing many into extreme poverty. When the 14 women realized their shared talent for embroidery, they decided to create a handicraft business that would provide income to support their families. Since 1998, the success of the business has allowed Batsiranai to expand to 100 members, and purchase two houses used as a daycare center, physical therapy center, office and work space, and housing for three families. They are managed by a committee of seven who are democratically elected. They are members of the World Fair Trade Organization and the Zimbabwe Parents of Disabled Children Association. Ten Thousand Villages sells “Sharing Dolls” from Batsiranai: Each time a doll is purchased, its twin is given to a child affected by HIV/AIDS.

South Asia

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Corr-The Jute Works: Christian Organization for Relief and Rehabilitation

In 1971, Bangladesh suffered a brutal genocide, leaving many of the surviving women destitute and alone. CORR- The Jute Works  was founded in 1973 to provide job opportunities to uplift and empower the mothers, daughters, and sisters of this ravaged nation. CORR has hired more than 4,000 women regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or caste level. Many women work from their own homes and self manage by democratically electing a president and a secretary to distribute work amongst their group. If a woman is having a particularly hard time financially, this is considered in the distribution of work. CORR has also established a number of community welfare projects like installing sanitation in artisans’ homes, building wells to provide pure water, offering financial help with medical emergencies, and starting health programs for pregnant women.

Artisan Haricha Begum, who has worked with CORR since 1980, says:

“My dream came true. My sorrows have all gone and my hope has been fulfilled.”

East Asia

San Patong, Thailand

Grassroots HQ Co. ltd

Grassroots HQ Co. ltd is an alternative trade organization that markets for Thai cooperatives, like White Lotus, whichworks to empower and employ women in San Patong, Thailand. San Patong is a very poor area where women are often lured or sold into prostitution. This area also has a very high rate of HIV infection. Grassroots provides AIDS education, awareness and training for care of those affected by AIDS. White Lotus hand-makes beautiful batiked paper from mulberry leaves, which are renewable resources.

Middle East

Galilee Region, Israel

Sindyanna of galilee

Sindyanna of Galilee is a women-led nonprofit established in 1996 to empower Arab women in northern Israel, as well as olive farmers and other artisans in Palestinian Occupied Territories. Sindyanna strengthens the economy of the Arab-Palestinian population and emphasizes cooperation between Arabs and Jews. It provides maternity and retirement benefits, educational projects, and organizes a summer camp for artisans’ children. The name of the organization is a reference to the Palestine Oak, symbolic for its endurance, stability and of the Arab population who remained in Israel. On March 8th, the Arab and Jewish women of Sindyanna will meet in Tel Aviv with other organizations  to march for equality and celebrate International Women’s Day together.

Latin America

Santiago, Guatemala

Creaciones Chonita

Creaciones Chonita is a small business located on the coast of Lake Atitlan and was founded in 1981 by Concepción Sojuel Mendoza, an indigenous Mayan woman who lost her husband in the violence of the Civil War and needed a way to support herself and her children. Since 1981, Creaciones has grown to support 45 widows and young women full-time and 35 part-time. The women make a fair wage for their work, and a percentage of the proceeds are put aside for social projects, such as a scholarship fund for needy children, and a program that provides monthly food packages to elderly widows. Additionally. Creaciones has taken part in building a school for 225 children and is working on a senior citizens center.

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Unidas Para Vivir Mejor: United for a Better Life

UPAVIM was started in 1988 to provide health and education services for women on the outskirts of Guatemala City living in a squatter community called “La Esperanza.” The women of UPAVIM are mothers, homemakers, widows and in many cases the sole breadwinners of their families. The women must first volunteer 32 hours, and continue to volunteer two hours a week at the UPAVIM community care center. In addition to crafts, UPAVIM has started other small businesses such as a bakery, pharmacy and an internet center. Through UPAVIM, donors also fund scholarships for 430 elementary and junior high students. Profits also go to running a Montessori Infant Education Center and an Alternative Elementary School.

So, in the spirit of all women, let’s share in the success of our sisters everywhere, and as we move forward remember all that our fore-mothers have fought for and accomplished. Keep fighting for equality and respect for all women of the world in their honor!

With Love,

Your Sister,

Becca

Ten Thousand Villages Featured in CultureMap

Extra! Extra! Read all about it…

Announcing the Finalists in Austin’s 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards

Ten Thousand Villages celebrates women locally and globally with our 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards on Friday, March 8th, 6-8pm at our fair trade store (1317 S. Congress). The Ceremony will be hosted by 2010 IWD honoree Sara Hickman, who will present awards to three finalists and a winner from each category. “Through actions and influence these women are distinguishing Austin as a city that’s leading in social change,” Store Manager Kitty Bird said. The Finalists are:

 Humanitarian

   • Leslie Beasley – Founder, Open Arms 

   • Kay Firth-Butterfield – Consortium for Street Children

   • Christy Pipkin – Executive Director, The Nobelity Project

Environmentalist
   • Paige Hill – Founder, Urban Patchwork Neighborhood Farms
   • Elisabeth Welsh – Program Director, Austin Youth River Watch
   • Sarah Young – Youth Director, Discover Green – YEL

Animal Advocate
   • Karen Cole – Founder, Lizzy’s Hospice
   • Liz Parker – Emancipet Board & Austin Pets Directory Publisher
   • Sheila Smith – President, Shadow Cats Rescue

Finalists were chosen by a judges panel comprised of previous IWD winners and leaders in Austin’s nonprofit community: Brandi Clark Burton, Founder of Austin EcoNetwork; Meg Goodman Erskine, Executive Director of Multicultural Refugee Coalition; and Abigail Smith, Chief Animal Services Officer for the City of Austin.

“The judges had incredibly tough decisions to make,” Kitty said. “At the same time, it’s inspiring to learn about so many amazing women in our community who are making meaningful social impacts. This event is about celebrating all of them.”

For five years, Ten Thousand Villages has been celebrating and honoring women at this time of year. One day isn’t enough, so Ten Thousand Villages celebrates International Women’s Day for a week with cultural events and benefit shopping nights that support other nonprofits, culminating in the IWD Awards Ceremony on March 8th.

All events are free:

Monday 3/4
5-9 pm: Out of Africa
See Nobelity Project’s Building Hope documentary, enjoy traditional African food, and get 10% off all fair trade products handmade in Africa. A portion of all purchases supports local nonprofit Well Aware, which brings clean drinking water to rural villages in Kenya.

Tuesday 3/5
10:30-11:30 am: FREE Yoga Class! Courtesy of Mimi Curry at beradiantbliss.com
5-9 pm: South Asian Bazaar: Mehndi, Mandalas & More
Sari wrapping, henna art, music, food and 10% off all fair trade products handmade in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. A portion of all purchases supports Austin-based Tender Heart Foundation, which helps bring education and socioeconomic development to rural communities in Northern India.

Wednesday 3/6
5-9 pm: Latin America Romance
Come hear Latin American music performed live and get a 10% discount on all fair trade products handmade in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras or Colombia.

Thursday 3/7
5-9 pm: 1st Thursday on South Congress
Ten Thousand Villages stays open late for this popular monthly block party that lets Austin fly its weird flag. This event is about as Austin as it gets — don’t miss it!

Friday 3/8
6-8 pm: 5th Annual International Women’s Day Awards – Hosted by Sara Hickman! This night is all about celebrating women who have made exceptional contributions in our community and who make a difference in the lives of those around them. Limited seating; RSVP required: Facebook or email.

It’s going to be a week about social change and powerful women. Hope you will come and celebrate with us — and share this news with your friends!

Who Are Austin’s Outstanding Women Changemakers?

Ten Thousand Villages Announces Winners of 2012 International Women’s Day Awards

AUSTIN, TX — Despite heavy rain and SXSW, Ten Thousand Villages (1317 S. Congress), Austin’s only 100-percent fair trade store, was filled to capacity for its 4th Annual International Women’s Day Awards, which recognize outstanding women changemakers in three categories: Humanitarian, Environment, and Animal Welfare. The 2012 Winners are:

• HUMANITARIAN: Diana Claitor, Cofounder and Director of Texas Jail Project
• ENVIRONMENT: Brandi Clark Burton, Founder of Austin EcoNetwork, Austin CarShare, and Citizen Gardener
• ANIMAL WELFARE: Abigail Smith, Chief Animal Services Officer, City of Austin

“Humanitarianism, respecting the environment and animals are all integral to our mission as a nonprofit fair trade organization,” said Ten Thousand Villages Store Manager Kitty Bird. “Women in particular benefit from fair trade because it gives them opportunities to handcraft goods and earn sustainable living wages to support their families. So International Women’s Day is the perfect time to recognize and honor local women who are making significant social impacts in our community and around the world,” she said.

The Awards Ceremony was hosted by Austin Eavesdropper Tolly Moseley, and Finalists and Winners were selected by a panel of judges who work in the nonprofit sector: Meg Goodman Erskine, Cofounder and Executive Director of Multicultural Refugee Coalition; Carol Thomas, Director of Development at Caritas of Austin; and Monica Williams, GivingCity Founding Editor and Austin Community Foundation Communications Manager.

“The judges had a tough job selecting finalists because we received so many nominations of ‘ordinary’ women doing extraordinary things,” said Bird. “After a lot of soul-searching, the judges agreed that more people need to know about Diana Claitor’s humanitarian accomplishments and what’s happening to pregnant women in Texas prisons,” she said.

Claitor was the force behind getting Texas legislature to pass HB 3653, which restricts the practice of shackling incarcerated pregnant women during labor and delivery. She continues fighting for a complete ban on such barbaric practices, which still happen in prisons in Texas as well as other states.

Abigail Smith stood out in the Animal Welfare category because in just one year with the largest municipal animal shelter she has led Austin to become the first major urban city in Texas to officially reach No-Kill status. Smith reorganized and led 90 staff members into a new way of thinking about how they treat more than 20,000 animals that enter Austin Animal Center each year, and achieved what no other major Texas city has done: a 91-percent live animal outcome rate for 2011.

Judges chose Brandi Clark Burton as the Environment winner because she is Austin’s most influential force in building and empowering the sustainability community. Through Austin EcoNetwork, Earth Day festivals, and events such as It’s My Park! Day, Austin Moving Forward, and the Green Festival, she has been leading and raising awareness of socially and environmentally responsible practices for residents and businesses since 1996. The Austin Chronicle dubbed Clark Burton “a human switchboard for all things sustainable.”

For more information about Ten Thousand Villages’ 2012 International Women’s Day Awards, including bios of all Awards Finalists, go to bit.ly/xfkxRy (pdf). Photos of the event are available for download and reproduction at Flickr (bit.ly/yOTv4d) and Facebook (http://on.fb.me/wZ6uhr).

– By Barbara-Anne Mansfield

4th Annual International Women’s Day Awards Finalists

Tonight Is the Night! 

The winners for the 4th Annual International Women’s Day Awards Nominees will be announced tonight at our ceremony/celebration!

Many fantastic Austin women were nominated for recognition in the following categories:

Humanitarian - A person devoted to promoting the welfare of humanity, especially through the elimination of pain and suffering. Humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings.

Environmentalist - A person actively involved in attempts to protect the environment from pollution or destruction through such measures as ecosystem protection, waste reduction, pollution prevention, and conservation.

Animal Welfare Advocate - A person focused on the well-being of animals in such a way that they do not suffer unnecessarily, and who educates others to understand the needs of animals and how to reinforce positive interactions with them.

However, as excited as we are to honor the winners, we wanted to first take the time to recognize all of the Finalists in the above categories, as each woman has accomplished many amazing things and has made Austin a better place. The following information has been paraphrased from the information provided to us by nominators and from online bios.

Humanitarian Finalists

Felora Derakhshani – Founder and Executive Director, ACT Women

Felora, originally from Iran, has helped countless women and girls through her involvement in non-profits such as ACT Women (Advancing Community Through Women), Peace Through Commerce, and Advancing Women Entrepreneurs. She is also a past president of the Board of Austin Area Interreligious Ministries (now Interfaith Action of Central Texas), a vital community organization promoting understanding and peace among people of all religious faiths, and she currently sits on the board of the Austin chapter of the United Nations Association. ACT Women has a monthly local service project and several international service projects, such as the Mona Foundation for education of women in rural areas of Indore, India, and The Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, which focuses on giving poor young Indian women literacy training, practical knowledge of health, nutrition and sanitation, skills for income-generation, and an awareness of village-level environmental conservation. She has also helped with secondary education of girls in Uganda. Advancing Women Entrepreneurs works with women in Israel and Palestine, as well as other areas of strife to promote understanding, peace and commerce. Felora has been instrumental in coordinating ACT Women Conferences “for the spiritual transformation of women and girls” in Austin for the last nine years.  (Photo courtesy of Peace Through Commerce)

Diana Claitor – Cofounder, Texas Jail Project

Diana cofounded the Texas Jail Project in 2006, and has staffed it since without interruption.  The Texas Jail Project works to “improve conditions for incarcerated women and men by publicizing the widespread abuse and neglect in approximately 250 county facilities in Texas.” Claitor’s work with the Texas Jail Project has required great sacrifice, which she willingly makes due to her immense dedication to her work.  Her primary focus has been on calling attention to the imprisoning of pregnant women in Texas. She was instrumental in the passage of the 2009 Texas H.B.3653, “Use of Restraints on Pregnant Inmates in Texas County Jails,” which restricts but does not entirely ban the practice of shackling laboring women. She writes articles (some published in the Texas Observer), maintains a detailed blog, petitions, testifies before legislative committees and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, writes letters, counsels family members, hounds jail personnel, and in multitude other ways relentlessly works for humane treatment of jail inmates. (Photo courtesy of Texas Jail Project)

Trudy Marshall – Founder and Executive Director, Libraries of Love

Trudy Marshall founded the non-profit organization Libraries of Love, whose mission is “to partner with Africans to create libraries in individual schools. Through reading, students will develop a love of literature, as well as strengthen their knowledge in each curriculum subject area. Lifelong readers become lifelong learners. Therefore, the libraries will serve as bridges to a better future for the children of Uganda.” Trudy has helped over 30,000 children in Uganda by building libraries in 24 of their schools. In one school, reading scores for grades 2-8 went from 79 to the upper 90s one year after their library was built because they were able to read everyday. According to Trudy’s nominator: “While visiting Uganda in 2001, Trudy, a former Laurel Mountain Elementary librarian, was repeatedly asked by children not for clothes, shoes, or money, but for books. They had no libraries in their schools, and they often went without even textbooks in the classrooms. Through her strong belief that she was doing something that desperately needed to be done, Trudy managed to mobilize first her elementary school community and now the community at large. This quiet, unassuming woman now routinely speaks in front of groups and coordinates all efforts of the libraries (with the help of a small leadership team), managing volunteers both from the Austin area and outside of the state of Texas. She is a fearless and tireless leader who inspires all of those working with her to accomplish great things.”  (Photo courtesy of Libraries of Love)

Environment Finalists

Brandi Clark Burton – Founder, Austin EcoNetwork

Brandi is a prominent community leader and “eco-prenuer” here in Austin. To quote the Austin Business Journal, “If Austin had one green ambassador, it would be Brandi Clark.” ABJ also awarded Brandi the “Going Green Award” for her accomplishments as a “Green Advocate.” After graduating from Yale University with a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science, Brandi started Environmentality Inc., an organization that promoted environmental products, business models, and sustainable living. Environmentality Inc. was rebranded EcoNetworking, which expanded to do even more environmental good. Her recent accomplishments include founding Austin EcoNetwork, Austin CarShare, and Citizen Gardener, and producing city-wide events such as It’s My Park! Day, Austin Moving Forward, Live & Kickin’, and the Green Festival. In addition to all these amazing initiatives, Brandi practices what she preaches by living simply and sustainably, and she has dedicated her life to helping others do the same. From businesses to individuals, she passionately offers personalized consulting and promotes awareness as well as participation.  Her life’s work can be summed up by a mission statement she gladly shares with Pachamama Alliance: “Bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet.” (Photo courtesy of Brandi Clark’s blog)

Andi Scull – Founder and President of HOPE Campaign

Andi is an artist, graphic designer, director and producer. In fact, one of her most famous designs is the “Don’t Mess With Texas” logo! In addition to her creative work, Andi works as a passionate supporter of eco-products and philanthropic communities. She is Cofounder of the HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) Campaign, which is “an energy-conscious non-profit focused on involving artists and their contributions in campaigns, programs and events to support existing social projects that promote education and peace around the world.” Some projects that have been initiated by this campaign are HOPE Farmers Market (Sundays at 5th & Waller in East Austin, and new this month: Wednesdays at Cherrywood Coffeehouse) and HOPE for Senegal. HOPE Farmers Markets introduce Austinites to area farmers, local artists, musicians, healthy lifestyle companies and community organizations. HOPE for Senegal provides funding for a high school in West Africa to grant scholarships to girls, build a science lab, and provide nursing supplies to the more than 4,000 students who go there. Our city is lucky to have such an amazing woman who dedicates her creative talents to social change in Austin and our global village. (Photo courtesy of HOPE Campaign)

April Rose – Executive Director of TreeFolks

A “Top 10 Austinite of the Year,” April is the leader of TreeFolks, a non-profit that “grows the urban forest of Central Texas through tree planting, education and community partnerships.” In just 15 months with TreeFolks, April helped residents of Austin plant over 13,000 trees! She also worked hard to help the victims of the Bastrop fires by providing  3,000 saplings to help them reforest their homes and properties. Before joining TreeFolks, April served as City Forester for four years in Pflugerville, where she developed an urban forestry program and a stream bank restoration project on Willbarger Creek that will reduce the effects of erosion and pollutant contamination. The programs she developed were challenging because the town never had someone on staff whose job was to plant and protect trees and interpret the value of the urban forest. April has a degree in Forestry and is a certified arborist, which qualifies her to formulate and teach programs about trees, ecology, and sustainability. She has taught and led programs in drought management of trees, tree planting, and riparian restoration. According to her nominator, “April has amazing kindness, energy, and organizational skills that result in effective programs, outreach, media, partnerships with government agencies, and interpersonal relationships with the public, the TreeFolks board, and staff.” (Photo credit: Leann Mueller for Tribeza)

Animal Welfare Finalists

Shari Elkins – Director of Training Programs, The Canine Center for Training & Behavior

Shari created the Schrodi Fund, which “teams with top dog trainers and behavior consultants to train owners how to handle and manage their dog(s) and their behaviors in a reward-based style” in order to provide training at an affordable price. Through her cooperation with this fund and her position at The Canine Center for Training and Behavior, Shari has helped over 200 dogs and their families who might have otherwise lost each other. In addition, she has served as a mentor to many training interns, helping them and working with them to improve their training skills. Shari helps as a vet tech at Animal Trustees of Austin in the spay/neuter clinic, where her work has helped to lessen the pet overpopulation problem in central Texas. For years Shari worked with Austin’s leading expert in reactive and aggressive dogs at the Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behavior (until Lee’s untimely death in 2010). She accompanied Lee Mannix and his team to an evaluation trip to Louisiana following Katrina, where they did behavioral testing on hundreds of dogs, helped provide medical care, and consulted with other organizations to help with the ongoing mental and physical health of the rescued animals. Their crew brought back more than 50 dogs to Austin and cared for, fostered, and found them homes. (Photo credit: Ben Swan, santafenewmexican.com)

Missy McCullough – Founder and Executive Director, Animal Trustees of Austin

Missy founded Animal Trustees of Austin in 1993 as a result of her determination to make a lasting difference to the animals of Central Texas. Animal Trustees makes life-saving surgeries and vital wellness care affordable to those owners who cannot otherwise afford private veterinary care. In some cases, these services are provided at no cost, so even the most financially challenged are able to keep their beloved pets in times of economic hardship. Under Missy’s leadership, Animal Trustees serves more than 40,000 dogs and cats per year! She has worked tirelessly with other animal welfare organizations to enhance communication, avoid duplication, and raise the level of services to our community, and she has built two animal clinics in Austin that provide affordable spay/neuter services, essential veterinary care, treatment for heartworm disease, and surgeries annually for tens of thousands of pets whose owners cannot afford to go elsewhere. In addition, Missy has made the lives of Central Texans and their pets better by advocating for optimum care and protection through public awareness, education and legislation. Through the special programs Missy has implemented, such as 4PAWS (For People and Animals Without Shelter), Recovering Hearts, and the Emergency Care Fund, Animal Trustees truly has earned the trust in its name — the trust of the animals, the trust of their owners, and the trust of the entire community. (Photo credit: YNN)

Abigail Smith – Chief Animal Services Officer, City of Austin

Abigail oversees the largest municipal animal shelter in Central Texas, Austin Animal Center.  She has only been in Austin for one year and reached what no other major Texas city has been able to achieve: a 91-percent live animal outcome rate for 2011, making the City of Austin the first major urban city in Texas to officially reach No-Kill status! Abigail has been able to reorganize and lead 90 staff members into a new way of thinking about animal welfare. She allows her staff to think creatively and come up with methods and ways to increase the number of animals that leave the shelter healthy and alive, while also working toward reducing the number of animals that enter the shelter system through increased outreach and animal welfare education. Abigail is passionate about her work and it shows through her daily interactions not only with staff, but with all members of the community. She recently piloted a free Pet ID event at the Animal Center for all members of the community to come get free ID tags and microchips for their pets. Almost 1,000 pets were tagged over the two-day period. Welcome to Austin, Abigail! (Photo credit: John Anderson for the Austin Chronicle)

Stay tuned to find out who the winners in each category are. We’ll post names and pictures from the 2012 International Women’s Day Awards Ceremony here.

– By Barbara-Anne Mansfield

How International Women’s Day Relates to Principles of Fair Trade

I recently had the pleasure of reading about some amazing women who were nominated for our Annual International Women’s Day Award Ceremony. At our award ceremony, we’re honoring only a few of the many, many outstanding women who are advocates of humanitarianism, the environment, and animal welfare. Aside from being awe-inspired (and that is an immense understatement), reading about these women also brought to mind how what they’re doing for others relates to the principles of fair trade we value so much and how these principles are related to each other.

The Fair Trade Coalition refers to fair trade as practices or products that do not harm the earth, animals, or humans. It’s easy to see that humanitarianism, environmentalism, and animal advocacy all tie into each other, and are all integral to the Fair Trade mission.

Humanitarianism’s relationship to the principles of fair trade is probably the most apparent. Rallying for the dignity of human life is at the core of the Fair Trade mission. It’s concerned with and strives to promote the welfare of people everywhere. With fair trade, the primary concern is the welfare of the producers and their communities. A big part of this is supporting fair working conditions to ensure that workers and producers are not exploited in any way, whether from dangerous working conditions or unfair pay.  Creating opportunities for  workers who otherwise would not have a means to support themselves or their families is another way humanitarianism coincides with fair trade principles.

A good way to think of environmentalism is as environmentally conscious consumerism.  Advocates of fair trade encourage the producers they buy from to maximize the use of raw materials and to produce their goods in such a way that it does not harm their environment. This works toward sustainability so that future generations may survive and continue to build better lives. Advocating environmental awareness in regards to fair trade is important because agriculture can play a huge role in the growth of developing countries.

All these categories relate to each other, but environmentalism and animal welfare relate even more closely together. In supporting environmental awareness and in protecting the environment, animals are able to live and prosper, as opposed to dying because of things such as pollution and the destruction of their habitat. Producers also do not cause animals harm to make their fair trade products.  We have products in our store that are made from animal bone, but these animals were not killed to make these products. For example, the animal may have been killed for food, but as a means to maximize the use of the animal, the horn, or bone may be used to create something not only useful, but also beautiful.

I invite you to think about the correlation with all of these categories here, and how all the principles of fair trade relate to each other. Just think about how everything is connects, influences, and impacts another, whether it be positive or negative. Just dwell on that for a little bit. Maybe it’s cliched to say that everything you do has the potential for “a butterfly effect,” and how you have the incredible ability to change the world because of this, but I’m starting to see just how true that is. And without getting too tangential, this is why fair trade is important, and why I think it actually does make a difference. You’re changing the world, little by little, by supporting fair trade.

What Would the People of Earth be Without Women?

In honor of International Women’s Day our social media intern, Alyssa, reviews the book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide”

Half the Sky is written by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the first couple ever to win a Pulitzer Prize.  As Rohini Pande of Harvard Magazine puts it, this novel “is more than just journalism. It’s a tract that’s unashamedly intended to outline a problem and convince its readers to take action to solve it.” The problem outlined is the abuse, neglect, oppression and exploitation of women worldwide.  The manifestation of these range from maternal mortality to fistulas to sex trafficking to systemic rape to gendercide.

A few quotes to get you thinking…

“It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the battles of the twentieth century.  More girls are killed in this routine ‘gendercide’ in any one decade than people were slaughtered in all the genocides of the twentieth century.”

“The equivalent of five jumbo jets’ worth of women die in labor each day, but the issue is almost never covered.”

“Women aged 15 through 45 are more likely to be maimed or die from male violence than from cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined.”

What makes this book so important is that it not only presents problems but, more importantly, that it also presents solutions in an approachable manner. Each chapter is divided into two sections, the first detailing the horrors of a problem facing women and the second focusing on an individual or group whose actions have drastically improved the condition of women in regards to the problem.  For example, in the section discussing maternal mortality and fistulas, in addition to learning about the horrible realities of these issues, we also learn about such wonderful people as Edna Adan who after escaping from poverty and earning a successful position for the U.N. decided to return to her home country and open up a hospital to help service women who would otherwise remain almost entirely neglected.  Another wonderful woman is Dr. Catherine Hamlin who opened the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital with her late husband Reginald in Ethiopia which offers free fistula repair to women and girls.

Many of the issues facing women around the world I was vaguely aware of, others I was already passionate about, and some I didn’t know about at all.  However, no matter what the case was, Kristof and WuDunn always succeeded in teaching me something, whether it be about the issue itself or about a possible solution I had never considered.

An important fact about Half the Sky: It is a non-partisan book.  And by non-partisan I mean that Kristof and WuDunn point out the flaws of both political parties and emphasize how unproductive it is to involve politics in enacting justice.

One section that exemplifies this is the section on education.  Although I have always appreciated the power of an education, I never realized just how much impact it can have on a community. A few quotes on education…

“… the single most important way to encourage women and girls to stand up for their rights is education”

“‘Empowering women begins with education,’ she said” [quoting Mahdere Paulos, the woman who runs the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association].

Although many of the solutions mentioned are important to consider, they might seem lofty for someone reading the book on their couch here in America.  But fear not, Kristof and WuDunn offer simple steps we can all take to make the world a better place. In addition to the final chapters of the book “What Can You Do” and “4 Steps You Can Take in the Next 10 Minutes”, measures for change we can accomplish are sprinkled throughout the novel.  For almost every solution they present, they explain what the cost would be and oftentimes it is much less that one would expect.  One part that stuck out to me was when they laid out the cost for de-worming kids in Africa to help keep them in school:

“‘The average American spends fifty dollars a year to deworm a dog; in Africa, you can deworm a child for fifty cents,’ says Peter Hotez of the Global Network for neglected Tropical Disease Control, a leader in the battle against worms.”

Amongst all these wonderful teachings and encouragements, however, I feel the most important lesson from Half the Sky is this:

“Women’s Rights are Human Rights”

I don’t meant to say that this book contains the answers to all of the world’s problems. I don’t even mean to say that I completely agree with everything Kristof and WuDunn wrote.  For example, though America is mentioned briefly as a contributor to these issues, the blame is generally placed on developing countries.  Although there may be a stronger presence of these issues in developing nations, we should not get off scot-free. A larger focus could have been placed on our indirect and direct relationships alike with the exploitation of women, primarily in the areas of slave labor and sex trafficking.

However, this book did get me started.  It opened the door to my desire for change and curiosity about how to enact this change.

Mark Twain’s response to the question posed in the title of this blog: “Scarce…mighty scarce”.  Although this is both funny and true, in honor of International Women’s Day I ask you to consider some other implications of a world where women-or, in other terms, half the world’s population-remain an untapped, exploited, and oppressed resource.

TO LEARN MORE…

Half the Sky Movement

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SOURCES…

Bonnie’s Books

Harvard Magazine

On the Issues