Eco Gifts, Fairtrade Gifts - Ethical Gifts Blog

The Ugliness Of War Transformed Into Beauty

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Jewellery that helps transform the scars of war into the beauty of peace.

Peace Dove necklaces, pendants and bracelets handmade from brass bombshell casings by Cambodian artisans.

This bomb shell jewellery turns the painful legacy of war into a beautiful item and offers a more positive future for the artisans, as well as the direct victims of landmines.

After two decades of war, one in every 250 Cambodians is disabled and the proportion of amputees - one in every 384 people - is the highest in the world.

The Cambodian landscape is littered with unexploded ordnances and bomb casings, many of which are still being uncovered. Today, artisans use bombshells to create fashion statements for peace. In a special necklace, the doves are hand cut from brass casings using a jeweller's saw and then stamped with the word peace, written in both Khmer and English.

This symbolic jewellery takes the scars of a country's horrific history and transforms them into something beautiful .

The jewellery shows a creative reaction to violent conflict, a way of reminding us of the impressive strength that lies within so many.

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Posted by: Ethical Gifts AT 03:14 am | Permalink | 0 Comments | Email

Gifts That Support Fair Trade

Saturday, 06 August 2011

Fairtrade means that consumers in developed countries such as Australia can offer support to those in countries that are not as privileged by participating in a movement to buy goods from them and agreeing to pay a fair wage in return. Workers are ensured fair treatment, good working conditions and support. As a result, there are many men and women who are better able to support themselves their families and their communities financially .They take pride in their business and produce beautiful products to sell around the world During Christmas and all throughout the year, consider buying gifts that support Fair-Trade.

Do a search online for Fair Trade gifts. Look through a few of the search results and read about how each company is run to familiarize yourself with what their mission is. Look to see who they support and what types of products they offer. As you go, start to think about what your gift ideas are and who you could buy these fair trade products for. Even if you aren't in need of gifts, look for household products that you yourself might be interested in buying.

For a Christmas consider cards or Fairtrade Christmas decorations. There are also beautiful ornaments from all around the world, fair-trade stockings and nativity sets available to brighten up Xmas day

We all love to receive chocolates There are lots of companies that sell beautifully wrapped fair-trade chocolates that are delicious Some are individual bars of chocolate and some are boxed chocolates

Beautiful pottery from many countries can be found through fair trade companies. Consider giving a piece of art as a gift. You can also find baskets for storage and organizing your home. There are even lovely gift items that are made from recycled materials.

Tea and coffee and coffee are popular fair trade products and can be found at many different companies as well as local supermarkets

Finally when looking at each product read about each company and their practices so you are educated and feel good about your purchase. In many of the fair- trade gifts sites they list information about the artists that produce these fair trade goods.

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Posted by: AT 06:02 am | Permalink | 0 Comments | Email

A Heartfelt Story

Friday, 05 August 2011

It has a sad beginning but because of it the lives of others will be changed forever.

Martha Letsoalo started the heartfelt project with Julie Hadley after her son Emanuel died, at the age of 25, in prison wrongly accused and sadly abused . His files to this day have never been found. After stealing what little money Martha had and promising to get Emanuel out of prison, the corrupt lawyer left her broken hearted and disheartened by the legal system in the country. With no husband to depend on, no job opportunities and three grandchildren to feed - Martha did what came naturally to her – she found a way to survive.

The heartfelt project is her story. It’s about who she is. It’s about her children. It’s about the lives of the women and families in her community. It’s about the sadness that happens on a daily basis in Sth Africa and the big difference one small heart can make to the happiness of others. Together, Martha and Julie started creating and designing the heartfelt products using traditional handcraft skills, felt and beads. Today they are sold within South Africa and the UK. There are now ten women employed by the heartfelt project.

Each day they come to work full of pride and hope. Creating each heartfelt design out of love and strongly believing that they can make a difference - not only to their own lives but to the lives of the community in which they live. Each heart sold by the heartfelt project helps to feed and clothe the ladies and their families. Its aim is to heal the hearts of people who don't have the opportunities we have on a daily basis. And to fill not only the ladies hearts but many others with hope.

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Posted by: Ethical Gifts AT 01:53 am | Permalink | 0 Comments | Email

Hope Of A Brighter Tomorrow

Tuesday, 02 August 2011

An inspiring photography project for young Mozambicans, with the hope of bringing them brighter tomorrows

The World Through My Eyes is a project that teaches young Africans photography to help provide them with opportunities for a brighter future. The main goal is to expose young Mozambicans to photography. The children participating in this project are all underprivileged and a number of them are orphans. Young orphans in Mozambique find themselves in bleak situations. With few basic rights, they are often forced to abandon their studies and live on the streets. Many turn to child prostitution to survive and have little to look forward to.

This project aims to provide these children with an opportunity they likely would not have otherwise, to own a camera and begin to learn how to become a professional photographer.

Not only does this project give hope and pride to young people who are battling hard to make lives for themselves it reminds us of the importance of photography in capturing everyday activities to record them for future generations and share them with people around the world. This preservation and sharing of culture is one of the great benefits of this project

http://www.theworldthroughmyeyes.org

Posted by: Ethical Gifts AT 08:05 am | Permalink | Email