I've done a lot of self-serving purchasing in the nearly 2 years I've posted on this blog and though I don't necessarily feel as if I'm a selfish biatch when I look back at my shopping conquests (lol), there are times when I feel I could do more to contribute to the world at large aside from fulfilling my self-gratifying needs.
I have no idea why I was suddenly attacked by a stab of conscience but that was what happened this morning. I had been doing my usual Google News roll call and happened upon this pictorial article on the world disasters that have occurred in this year 2010. I was particularly struck by the images of the drought going on in Niger and Syria and all of the lives these natural disasters have displaced.
So, I decided to look around at a way to contribute outside of my immediate community circles. I know charity begins at home and while I could up my contribution to my immediate community needs, I also want to reach out to places I feel truly need all the help they can get.
And that's why I started looking around for products that combine my favourite pastime with the act of giving. I know that some people will say that giving while receiving something in return isn't really giving at all and to those people I say, "Well, if you don't like it, you don't have to join in". In most cases, these items are made by parties involved in the Fair Trade Movement which promotes sustainability and help producers obtain better trading conditions. Anywho, searching around, I decided upon two causes in which I'm interested in getting involved with- the World Food Programme Feed Bags (which I've talked about before in this post) and the TOMS One For One campaign.
The World Food Programme Feed Bag has come a long way since I first highlighted the Lauren Bush effort to stamp out world hunger way back in December 2008. The Feed Project now has a variety of products available and some of the items are a collaboration with other great causes. I am particularly enarmoured by the FEED 2 KENYA, FEED 100 and FEED/READ 3 bags.
The FEED 2 KENYA bag, as described on The FEED Project website, was handcrafted in Kenya by a co-op of women and deaf Kenyans and includes a $100 donation to the United Nations World Food Programme's School Feeding operations in Kenya. This purchase would not only support women and deaf Kenyan artisans, but the donation provides nutritious school meals to two Kenyan children for one year. The WFP school feeding program in Kenya is a needed support for a nation that is now dealing with a food crisis leaving 10 million Kenyans at risk of hunger. Each bag is hand-beaded using traditional techniques and is made with natural burlap and the iconic Kenyan Masai tribal fabric. Leather handles and shoulder strap make this the most luxurious FEED bag yet.
The FEED 100 is described as a zip-up tote, perfect for grocery shopping or travel. The bag comes zipped up in a burlap pouch, which unfolds into a full-sized bag made of organic cotton with copper rivets. Each FEED 100 bag sold provides 100 school meals to kids in Rwanda. This is a really fantastic way to get in there and help out for the very affordable price of USD30.
And then we have the FEED/READ 3 which is the cause I am most excited about. The site simply puts it like this:
"3 School Meals + 3 Local Language books = FEED / READ 3"
The FEED/READ 3 bag is described as a simple way to do good. Each 100% organic cotton tote bag, with fashionable green straps and copper rivets, includes a donation to provide 3 school meals and 3 local language books to children in the developing world. The FEED/READ 3 bag was created by FEED Projects in support of the United Nations World Food Programme's school feeding operations and Room to Read, an organization dedicated to promoting and enabling global education. And this is all for a mere USD25. However, as of writing, this particular product is out of stock.
Out of the three, I would most likely get the FEED 2 KENYA bag for myself but I was thinking of getting the FEED 100 and the FEED/READ 3 as birthday gifts for my family and friends. I think it would be a great idea to mix the concept of giving while receiving. When I think about the amounts I have spent on handbags, I don't find that 195 bucks is too much to shell out for charity. The good it will do outweighs anything else and if 2 Kenyan children get to have food for one year, that is enough reason alone. A lot of people have questioned where does the nearly 50% balance go to and from the website, I managed to glean that the rest of the money goes to making the actual bag which includes design, production, shipping, the 100% post-consumer recycled hang tags, and toward the cost of running this "small" business. The FEED Project LLC employs fair trade practices and therefore the sum of each part to create the product are in conjunction with what is considered to be fair trade as monitored by Verite.org.
Next on my list of shopping for a cause is the TOMS One For One. TOMS Shoes is a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. It was founded by American Blake Mycoskie and was inspired by the children he befriended in Argentina that wore no shoes to protect their feet as they could not afford them. I've been conscious of this movement for some time ever since reading a profile done by Teen Vogue. Back then, I wasn't able to participate due to credit card and geographical restraints. Now that all that has changed, I have no excuse to not get involved. And it just so happens that TOMS has come out with a wedge version of their shoes - Canvas Women's Wedges going for $69.00. It has a heel-height of 3 1/4", a natural Canvas upper and lining materials that afford comfort and breathability, canvas lining with Moroccan-inspired pattern, EVA insole for additional cushioning, TOMS classic suede insole cover for long-lasting comfort, Soft suede heel insert for added comfort and lastly, the durable solid rubber outsole with “One for One” script design. I would love to get the shoes in Midnight Blue but those are currently sold out in my size so I'm pondering about the Cranberry instead.
All in all, I believe wholeheartedly that these two causes are successful as it taps into the consumer-driven world we all live in. People are just simply more prone to give if they are able to get something (pretty/cool) in return. But that's besides the point. The real winners are the people who are the beneficiaries of the money from sales of these products. And that's truly what makes it all worth it. Ok, enough of being preachy, I will get off my soapbox now :D
I have no idea why I was suddenly attacked by a stab of conscience but that was what happened this morning. I had been doing my usual Google News roll call and happened upon this pictorial article on the world disasters that have occurred in this year 2010. I was particularly struck by the images of the drought going on in Niger and Syria and all of the lives these natural disasters have displaced.
So, I decided to look around at a way to contribute outside of my immediate community circles. I know charity begins at home and while I could up my contribution to my immediate community needs, I also want to reach out to places I feel truly need all the help they can get.
And that's why I started looking around for products that combine my favourite pastime with the act of giving. I know that some people will say that giving while receiving something in return isn't really giving at all and to those people I say, "Well, if you don't like it, you don't have to join in". In most cases, these items are made by parties involved in the Fair Trade Movement which promotes sustainability and help producers obtain better trading conditions. Anywho, searching around, I decided upon two causes in which I'm interested in getting involved with- the World Food Programme Feed Bags (which I've talked about before in this post) and the TOMS One For One campaign.
The World Food Programme Feed Bag has come a long way since I first highlighted the Lauren Bush effort to stamp out world hunger way back in December 2008. The Feed Project now has a variety of products available and some of the items are a collaboration with other great causes. I am particularly enarmoured by the FEED 2 KENYA, FEED 100 and FEED/READ 3 bags.
The FEED 2 KENYA bag, as described on The FEED Project website, was handcrafted in Kenya by a co-op of women and deaf Kenyans and includes a $100 donation to the United Nations World Food Programme's School Feeding operations in Kenya. This purchase would not only support women and deaf Kenyan artisans, but the donation provides nutritious school meals to two Kenyan children for one year. The WFP school feeding program in Kenya is a needed support for a nation that is now dealing with a food crisis leaving 10 million Kenyans at risk of hunger. Each bag is hand-beaded using traditional techniques and is made with natural burlap and the iconic Kenyan Masai tribal fabric. Leather handles and shoulder strap make this the most luxurious FEED bag yet.
The FEED 100 is described as a zip-up tote, perfect for grocery shopping or travel. The bag comes zipped up in a burlap pouch, which unfolds into a full-sized bag made of organic cotton with copper rivets. Each FEED 100 bag sold provides 100 school meals to kids in Rwanda. This is a really fantastic way to get in there and help out for the very affordable price of USD30.
And then we have the FEED/READ 3 which is the cause I am most excited about. The site simply puts it like this:
"3 School Meals + 3 Local Language books = FEED / READ 3"
The FEED/READ 3 bag is described as a simple way to do good. Each 100% organic cotton tote bag, with fashionable green straps and copper rivets, includes a donation to provide 3 school meals and 3 local language books to children in the developing world. The FEED/READ 3 bag was created by FEED Projects in support of the United Nations World Food Programme's school feeding operations and Room to Read, an organization dedicated to promoting and enabling global education. And this is all for a mere USD25. However, as of writing, this particular product is out of stock.
Out of the three, I would most likely get the FEED 2 KENYA bag for myself but I was thinking of getting the FEED 100 and the FEED/READ 3 as birthday gifts for my family and friends. I think it would be a great idea to mix the concept of giving while receiving. When I think about the amounts I have spent on handbags, I don't find that 195 bucks is too much to shell out for charity. The good it will do outweighs anything else and if 2 Kenyan children get to have food for one year, that is enough reason alone. A lot of people have questioned where does the nearly 50% balance go to and from the website, I managed to glean that the rest of the money goes to making the actual bag which includes design, production, shipping, the 100% post-consumer recycled hang tags, and toward the cost of running this "small" business. The FEED Project LLC employs fair trade practices and therefore the sum of each part to create the product are in conjunction with what is considered to be fair trade as monitored by Verite.org.
Next on my list of shopping for a cause is the TOMS One For One. TOMS Shoes is a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. It was founded by American Blake Mycoskie and was inspired by the children he befriended in Argentina that wore no shoes to protect their feet as they could not afford them. I've been conscious of this movement for some time ever since reading a profile done by Teen Vogue. Back then, I wasn't able to participate due to credit card and geographical restraints. Now that all that has changed, I have no excuse to not get involved. And it just so happens that TOMS has come out with a wedge version of their shoes - Canvas Women's Wedges going for $69.00. It has a heel-height of 3 1/4", a natural Canvas upper and lining materials that afford comfort and breathability, canvas lining with Moroccan-inspired pattern, EVA insole for additional cushioning, TOMS classic suede insole cover for long-lasting comfort, Soft suede heel insert for added comfort and lastly, the durable solid rubber outsole with “One for One” script design. I would love to get the shoes in Midnight Blue but those are currently sold out in my size so I'm pondering about the Cranberry instead.
All in all, I believe wholeheartedly that these two causes are successful as it taps into the consumer-driven world we all live in. People are just simply more prone to give if they are able to get something (pretty/cool) in return. But that's besides the point. The real winners are the people who are the beneficiaries of the money from sales of these products. And that's truly what makes it all worth it. Ok, enough of being preachy, I will get off my soapbox now :D
