If you have been shopping recently you will have no doubt discovered that many shops sell almost exactly the same mass produced thing and finding an original and well made gift for a child is very difficult. Pebble toys are the exact opposite. Affordable, machine washable and gorgeous each one is unique and simply delightful.

Pebble Toys are a lovely collection of hand knitted and crocheted soft toys ranging from the sweetest little owl and pixie rattles to bright green dinosaurs. Pebble brings smiles not only to the faces of the children who are lucky enough to own a Pebble toy but to the amazing women who make these lovely things. By simply buying a Pebble soft toy you are helping women and children in Bangladesh to earn a decent living Pebble is part of the nonprofit organization Hathay Bunano that is based in Bangladesh. The main goal of the organisation is to create flexible job opportunities for women in rural Bangladesh who have no source of income.

The workers co-operative was set up by Samantha Morshed to provide fairly paid work for women in rural communities. Traditionally women have had to leave their communities and move to Dhaka to earn money, and Dhaka is a very harsh city to live in. The traffic is horrific, the electricity supply unreliable and if you are poor you are likely to be living in extremely overcrowded and dirty conditions .

Pebble toys are hand made, cotton crochet toys that offer hope to the women who make them and joy to the children who own them..

They are gorgeous, unique, affordable and fair trade. Can't get better than that!

What is Fair Trade?

Simply put Fair-trade is all about creating a better world. It's a fair economic system, intended to serve and respect the interests and dignity of the less fortunate, the invisible majority, those who are so often overlooked

Fair-trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It offers them hope for a better future, it enables them to improve their position and to have more control over their lives.

Fair-trade supports social development projects, such as the building of schools and health centres, and thereby improves the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the world. It highlights the unequal system of world trade, and supports simple human rights, such as decent working conditions and eliminating the use of forced or child labour. It encourages gender equality, by allowing women to work, and by ensuring they are treated and paid the same as men. Fair trade encourages environmental responsibility and sustainability, and often lends to more natural and organic means of production, thereby reducing the impact on the environment

 Fair-Trade is a part of a growing movement in society , ethical consumerism,  where people in increasing numbers are making choices that have a positive impact on the world.