Relief Beads for Darfur

Relief Beads For Darfur
by Jessica

“Relief” – What does this word make you feel?

To me, this tiny word “relief” has the ability to be extremely powerful when it causes us to experience two completely different emotions. At first thought, the word implies a darker past full of pain, distress, and oppression – but as we begin associating it with alleviation from this pain and we are eased from our sadness. That is why I think “Relief Beads for Darfur” is such a fitting name for these beautiful bracelets. The artisans behind the assembly of these Relief Beads for Darfur carry a dark history full of oppression and distress on their backs, but the product that they make symbolizes the strength these women have emerged with after they have battled their life’s hardships. The beads of the bracelets reflect the artisans’ journeys, as each bead is made from sand and are each uniquely hand-painted to transform them into beautiful pieces of jewelry.

    Most of you hear about conflicts in Darfur through a voice coming out of the radio or a face on a TV screen. While we sympathize with the people living in Darfur, it sometimes becomes hard for us to find a way to help them. Sadly, with everything else happening in the world and in our everyday lives, it becomes easy for these tragic incidents to fade away to the backs of our minds over time. Wearing the Relief Beads for Darfur helps us to remember what is going on in the country and connects us more closely to the people who made them. It also gives us an easy way to help out people in Darfur:

- 1 Relief Bead feeds a malnourished child for 1 week
- 5 Relief Beads brings a malnourished child back to good health
- 10 Relief Beads restores the well-being of 2 malnourished children
- 100 Relief Beads saves the lives of 20 children

It is so amazing how much support these Relief Beads have received. Thanks to celebrities like Mandy Moore, Jessica Biel, and Zac Efron plus individuals like you who support this campaign, the people of Darfur are experiencing some relief. Won’t you be a part of it? Shop now >

Hi, my name is Jessica. As an upcoming senior in high school, I enjoy interning at Shopping for a Change. I've been gaining experience in marketing, interviewing people worldwide, and now blogging! I hope that you guys enjoy reading my blog post and become more aware of what's going in Darfur and how you can help!

Support International Women's Day, March 9

Tomorrow, March 9, is International Women's Day, and I am personally celebrating this day by doing everything I can to help women who are financially disadvantaged here at home in the U.S. and all countries abroad. I recognize that many (if not most) women do not have the choices we enjoy—choices that come with where you're born and the opportunities provided or denied by those circumstances. If you're born in a village in a third world country your opportunities are very limited. When I started traveling to countries such as Peru in order to research my fair trade gifts I saw women of every age trying to earn money in any respectable way they could, from offering photo opportunities to selling their handmade wares. This is much of what International Women's Day is about: creating more opportunities, more choices for women in less fortunate circumstances than ours.

Here at Shopping for a Change much of my daily work and mission involves working for women of the international community who craft beautiful, trendy, eco-friendly products, and also helping nonprofits in the U.S. which address women's needs. Every day I and a few other volunteers who assist me search out fair trade accessories, fair trade jewelry, fair trade clothing, fair trade home decor to offer to our customers while giving back to the women (and to a far lesser degree, men) who craft these products. Soon, I will have a baby line of products.

Please join me in celebrating tomorrow by supporting women here in the U.S. and all points abroad. My fair trade marketplace is a wonderful way to directly help women abroad with limited opportunities and choices. Thank you.

Live everyday as if it is International Women's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

In less than two weeks we'll be celebrating Valentine's Day for this year--it falls on Thursday, February 14th--and I've been putting a lot of thought into this day. To me, it means passion. Passion that includes intense emotions that connect us to other people, not only in the romantic sense, or the platonic sense, but in the global sense. How do our emotions connect to people we don't personally know? I believe it is through passion embedded in altruism and our spirit of deep helpfulness, our hard-wired desire to help one another. I believe it is also through compassion.

One of the reasons I founded Shopping for a Change is from this passion I feel in helping others, locally and non-locally. And it is this power of passion that drives me through the day and drives this nonprofit. Love and passion are inherent in all of our products, as captured and expressed by the artisans who craft them across thirteen countries.

As Valentine's Day is a celebration of our love, passion and other finer expressions of devotion, I feel that a continual burning of the fire of passion is a good shopping motif for this day. Among our many products that can be given for Valentine's Day, I've chosen this one for its fire.  This is the Same Sky Glass Beaded Bracelet, made of handblown glass beads. Besides the Fire Red, there are fourteen other colors to choose from.

There are, of course, many other fair trade items to select from for Valentine's Day.
And we are holding a Catch 'Em Before They're Gone! sale that has many handmade fair trade products marked way down. Please visit this sale page. Thank you all and see you in the store.