Beyond FAIR TRADE: Global Girlfriend Plus

I’ve written about Global Girlfriend before and wanted to follow up with an updated collection of on-line organizations that not only offer terrific gift ideas, but are based on the belief that commerce all year long can have a very positive impact on many levels. Thanks again to Britt Bravo at Have Fun * Do Good for many of these leads. Each quotation below comes from the company’s mission statement. Happy shopping!

Global Girlfriend
“Global Girlfriend was created to help women worldwide gain economic security while providing you unique products and a simple way to help women in need. Our fair trade boutique offers a line of trend-setting, women-made, fair trade products including stylish apparel, accessories and gifts with one purpose—helping women in need help themselves.”

Other GreaterGood.com Sites:
The Hunger Site
The Breast Cancer Site
The Rainforest Site
The Literacy Site
The Child Health Site
The Animal Rescue Site

World of Good
“At World of Good, Inc., we create opportunities for hundreds of artisan cooperatives around the world to share their best work with you by serving as a bridge to the U.S. retail market. We respectfully assist artisans by providing access to fair wages, safe working conditions and long-term economic sustainability.”

Be Sweet
“Be Sweet was born when (founder Nadine Storyk Curtis) lived in South Africa's Cape Town from 2002 to 2004 and became enamored with the handcrafted goods (she) saw there. (Curtis) started Be Sweet to support these innovative groups by bringing their products to a wider market of socially conscious consumers interested in beautiful things that fund community development.”

The Amber Chand Collection
“The Amber Chand Collection: Global Gifts for Peace and Understanding is a mission-based enterprise that fully supports women in regions of conflict and post-conflict—as mothers, peace builders, entrepreneurs, and skilled artisans.”

Two Hands Worldshop
“Two Hands Worldshop offers beautiful Fair Trade certified arts and handcrafts from the world's artisans. Fair Trade means fair wages, safe working conditions and long-term, stable business partnerships for disadvantaged artisans and producers.”

South African Partners’ Masifunde Sonke: Let Us Read Together
“For each book purchased in the United States, SA Partners donates a book in the purchaser’s name to a school in South Africa. In this way, Masifunde Sonke addresses the need for access to books and library materials in South African rural and township schools, stimulates economic development, and also increases opportunities for cross-cultural learning between children in the United States and South Africa.”

Oxfam Unwrapped
Give a goat or camel this Christmas! “The Oxfam Unwrapped catalogues only contain items that people around the world have identified they need to change their lives for the better—our programs include emergency relief, farming, health, education, small business and advocacy. When you buy a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped your donation will help support our work in these areas, ensuring your donation has an impact on the lives of people living in poverty.”

A Greater Gift
“A Greater Gift is a program of SERRV International, a nonprofit alternative trade and development organization. Our mission is to promote the social and economic progress of people in developing regions of the world by marketing their products in a just and direct manner. Our goal is to alleviate poverty and empower low-income people through trade, training and other forms of capacity building as they work to improve their lives.”

Global Exchange
“The mission of Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Program is to successfully market fairly-traded products in order to (1) increase benefits for producers and consumers through economic fairness, mutual respect, and understanding, and (2) build support for a more sustainable system of trade. We strive to pay a fair price to disadvantaged producers and to support producer-initiated efforts to improve their quality of life. In addition, we seek to increase understanding and activism of U.S. consumers about unfair trade practices and the fair trade alternative.”

World-Shoppe.com
“Purchasing an item from World-Shoppe.com not only helps provide income, dignity and hope to people in developing regions, but it also helps sustain the communities by promoting community development, healthcare and childcare, education and literacy training.”

Finally, Kiva.org remains a stellar example of how people who want to help on an international basis but have limited time, expertise, or means can pitch in a little to help make a huge, collective difference.

Photo: African Gift Basket © TwoHandsWorldshop