Let Love Rule!
16 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in FairTrade, Products Tags: holiday, nativity, ornaments
All of us at Ten Thousand Villages of Austin are very grateful to our amazing customers, our dedicated volunteers, and our community of friends who help us in our support of Fair Trade. Please take time this holiday season to love one another and to continue to spread the fair trade story!
Do you still have a few last minute gifts on your list? Or maybe ALL your last minute gifts? We have over 1,000 items, affordably priced under $25.00, that are bound to please even the most particular friend or family member. As always, your purchase will help to provide a living wage for families in over 30 developing countries around the world and educational opportunities for our artisans and their children. Every item, and every artisan, has a story behind it that we’ll be happy to share with you! So, make Ten Thousand Villages of Austin your one-stop shop for the holidays, where the impact of your purchase will be felt around the world.
A few of our holiday favorites:
From Olive Tree To Christmas Tree
15 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in Artisan, FairTrade, Partners Tags: holidays, olive wood, ornaments, West Bank
Raja Bannoura, West Bank
Raja Bannoura Workshop, based in Beit Sahour, a village on the east side of Bethlehem, produces hand–carved olive wood products. Bannoura coordinates orders for many olive wood carvers and workshops in Beit Sahour. He collects pruned olive branches and wood, stacks them in his yard, and dries them for six to nine months before cutting the wood for use. Laminating many small rectangular pieces together makes the larger flat pieces for nativities. Using small pieces of wood ensures that olive trees are not cut down for carving purposes.
Raja Bannoura began working with olive wood in his family workshop in Beit Sahour in 1974.
Ten Thousand Villages purchases olive wood nativities, ornaments and rosaries from Raja Bannoura. Ten Thousand Villages has purchased products from Raja Bannoura since 1978.
