Black Friday is Coming! Shopping with Purpose- Part Two

Black Friday is coming. Before you head out and stand in those ridiculously long lines, why not grab a cup of coffee and see if you can knock out some of your shopping list at the companies featured in this post.

These great shops have everything from baby toys to pet beds. The purchases made through these organizations provide life saving opportunity to the artisans that create the products. Let's make every dollar count this season!

Go Fish

In 1987, after a trip two years prior to the country of Peru, Curt and Barbara Coleman opened their first Go Fish store. In 2004, the Colemans chose to open other locations and currently have stores in seven states. The Go Fish franchises are based on the premise that each person can use their life experiences, skills and jobs for the benefit of God’s people.

 



Serrv

For over 60 years, SERRV, a nonprofit organization, has been on a mission to eradicate poverty. Through their connections with artisans and farmers Serrv offers unique and handcrafted fair trade items from around the world. There is something for every person on your list!

Jewelry and accessories

Kitchen and home decor

Christmas Ornaments

Games 

Pet Beds

                           

Chew toys

Market Haiti- The Apparent Project

Market Haiti, endorsed by the Apparent Project, is a market place for Haitian artisans. The lives of the artisan's families are made better through purchase made here.

Metal journals for the
writers in your life. 

Home decor

Nativity sets

Trade for Change

Trade for Change is the online retailer of Global Mama products. Trade for Change works to increase the sales of Global Mama fair trade products. Each sale creates jobs and increases the income and standard of living for African women and their families.

Photo holders

Bead sets for crafters.

Batik Boutique

"When Ryan and Amy Blair first moved to Malaysia in 2007, they did not imagine that within a few years they would start a successful business that helps people in need in their adopted country.

Their story of this enterprise began in 2009 when they met Ana, a single mom struggling to raise her two children. In learning her story and struggles, Amy learned that there are many women in similar situations that need help to provide for their families.  And then Amy made an important discovery: each of the women had access to a sewing machine. This realization, combined with a dream that we can create a business that impacts others through the teachings of Jesus, led to the beginnings of The Batik Boutique."

The process used to make the batik fabric is an art form. Every fabric sheet is a unique work of art. The colors hold up through many years of use.

Nursing covers

Baby slings

Ornaments 4 Orphans

"Ornaments4Orphans is an initiative of Pearl Ministries, a non-profit that helps orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda through gospel-centered, holistic development of family and community in partnership with indigenous ministries and churches."

Take a look at their unique ornaments and nativity sets. 

Glass bead crosses

Banana leaf angels

A variety of class bead animals

Stuffed animal ornaments-
perfect for  the little ones.

The Noonday Collection

The founders of Noonday Collection have a heart for adoption. Ten percent of every purchase is donated to qualified adoptive families. Noonday Collection also gives towards orphan care and prevention. 

Phuket Shoulder bag

Silver circle necklace

Handmade Stationary

World Craft

With partnerships in 28 countries, World Craft develops sustainable, fair-trade businesses among impoverished people around the world. World Craft is committed to holistic care and fair trade.

Cell phone pouches

Picture frames for a favorite
 teacher.

Book marks to accompany a special book.

Hairbows and toys

A different kind of journal. This could be
perfect for the guys in your life.

War Chest Boutique

This video by Women at Risk International gives a sad overview of the plight of so many women around the world.  This is why they do what they do. We have a chance to be a part! 

Here are just a few of the super cute items available through their store...

I hope you find what you are looking for as you browse these shops. I can't wait to hear what you find!  If you know of an organization that offers great products for a great purpose, please share them in the comment section or send me an email. I am already working on part three!

FreeSet

Located in Sonagacchi, the most infamous sex district in Kolkata, India, FreeSet shines like a beacon of hope for women trapped in the sex industry either by poverty or through trafficking.

FreeSet's goal is to give these women an option. Once a woman makes the choice to work for FreeSet the doors to a new life, dignity, and the road to healing are opened to her.

All of the profits made through FreeSet products provide benefits like insurance, retirement savings, and salary.

With every FreeSet purchase, these women are enabled to take a new step toward freedom.



Here are a few ways you can be involved...

Work with FreeSet
FreeSet has opportunities for both full term and short term

Educate yourself about trafficking. 
Learn the facts and you will understand that standing up for these girls is more than just jumping on the newest "bandwagon" issue.

Support the FreeSet Trust

Shop
FreeSet has a variety of bags in different styles and sizes that would make fantastic Christmas gifts.
These bangles would be fun stocking stuffers for the little (or big) girls in your life!

Sweet Sleep

Few things make more difference in the health and well being of a child then a good night of sleep.

Sweet Sleep is a faith based organization which provides beds to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. They serve children in Moldova, Uganda, Northern Uganda, and Haiti.

Here is the story behind Sweet Sleep...

"In July 2003, Jen Gash was part of a mission team working with orphans in the Eastern European country of Moldova. Her first image of the orphanage came in seeing a pile of mattresses stacked in a corner. The mattresses were only about one-inch in thickness. The smell coming from the mattresses was overwhelming. Jen would later learn the mattresses were 17–47 years old and the 700 children growing up in Moldova’s largest orphanage had only 430 beds and mattresses to share—meaning many children slept two-to-a-bed.

Jen’s heart grew heavier as she sat with the children on their beds each day. Their exhausted metal beds were only the size of a cot. The tired metal springs were sprung and almost every bed sagged in the middle, making it much like a metal hammock. Many children did not even have mattresses and used old wool blankets as a barrier to the harsh metal springs.

Throughout the week, Jen prayed earnestly as she sought to understand what she felt God was asking of her. One evening, during the team’s prayer time, someone prayed for the children to have “sweet sleep” and Jen began to cry. She sensed God confirm a call in her life to somehow work to provide for this specific need of the children she had fallen in love with during the week. In her own prayer time that evening, God brought those words back to her as He continued to affirm His intentions for His children to sleep sweetly on mattresses and beds that would no longer harm them.

On the plane home, Jen decided to read some scripture. She reached for her Bible and opened right to Proverbs, where one particular verse seemed to “jump” off the page. The verse was Proverbs 3:24: “When you lie down you will not be afraid; when you lie down your sleep will be sweet.”

Once back in Nashville, Jen began sharing her vision of “a bed for every head” and immediately received Sweet Sleep’s first donation.

The rest of the story is ministry."

Something as simple as a clean mattress can protect children from a myriad of issues. When children sleep on soiled beds, paper thin mats, or cold, hard floors they are more susceptible to biting insects and disease. The statistics are staggering:

• 1 in 5 of all childhood deaths is caused from malaria. 90% of these children are in Africa alone.
• A sagging or misshapen mattress may add tension to a child’s joints because their bodies rest on the mattress for hours at a time. Even if a child sleeps well on a bad mattress, these injuries to their bodies only make them weaker.
• Old mattresses or scraps of foam are breeding grounds for bed bugs and allergens that contribute to startling increases in respiratory diseases, including asthma as well as rhinitis, eczema and bed bug bites.
• When children continuously do not get enough sleep it affects their health, makes them tired during the day, hinders their ability to do well at school and leaves them more prone to disease.

 Sweet Sleep's provision of mosquito nets brings peace and security to children who are so afraid of contracting malaria.

How you can be involved...

Go
Contact Sweet Sleep to arrange a trip for your family or group.

Give
Take a look at the options for giving. We are always looking for creative ways to help our boys be "others minded". The $8 and $10 options seem like perfect opportunities for children to purchase gifts with their own money for these precious children for Thanksgiving or Christmas gifts.

• $8 provides a mosquito net to orphans in Africa or Haiti.
• $10 provides a Bible to an orphan in his or her language.
• $50 provides a bed and bedding for orphan resettlement kits in northern Uganda.
• $125 provides a healthy, comfortable new Sweet Sleep bed for a child in Africa.
• $167 provides a complete Sweet Sleep bed for an orphan in Haiti.
• $200 provides a comfy Sweet Sleep bed for a Moldovan orphan.

 Pray
Sign up to be a part of the prayer team or to receive monthly news letters.

Shop
 100% of the profits from the Sweet Sleep store go to provide beds,

So, while we are talking about Christmas...

When I can, I love to get my Christmas shopping finished early. It makes the season much merrier, doesn't it? The Internet has helped with that. The Internet has also helped with our family's goal of purchasing dual purpose Christmas gifts whenever we can. The first purpose in our gift giving is to share love with the people we love, of course. The second purpose is to fight injustice against the people God loves.

I know so many of you have those same desires for your gift giving. So, whenever you decide to do your shopping, early September or late November, I hope you will keep these places that fight against trafficking, poverty, and many other injustices committed against the poor on your list of places to shop.

Punjammies
Does your family have a Christmas Eve PJ tradition? How about a pair of these for mom. They are beautiful and every purchase fights human trafficking. Check out their clearance page for fantastic deals!

Sevenly

Each week these limited edition t-shirts bring attention and a big check to organizations that fight injustice. Stock up on a few for your t-shirt wearing friends and families. They have distinct designs for men and women with unique styles like the racer back tank top and the flowy raglan shirt for women, hoodies, and tote bags.  Here are a few examples of their products, but remember the design and organization change weekly!

          

Trade As One

As a child, each year my mom and dad would give my brothers and me a new Christmas ornament as a Christmas gift. We have continued that tradition with our boys. Pulling out the ornament box is one of my favorite nights of the Christmas season.  For the last two years I have purchased my ornaments for the boys and Todd through Trade As One.
Here are a few cute ones currently available:

Along with the ornaments, Trade As One carries a bunch of other fun gift items as well.

One World

One World, a compassionate fair trade organization, has a wide variety of perfect gift items. Watering cans, aprons, jewelry, food items, stationary, puzzles, and fabulous home decor.

The hand carved gourds, including beautiful nativity displays and ornaments,  made by merchants from Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Bolivia are so beautiful and delicate.  From merchants in India, One World also features many unique metal pieces. The prices are surprisingly reasonable (handmade ornaments starting at $3.50). This would be a great site to visit to locate the perfect hostess gift for all those holiday parties.

 

 

Story Company 

Recognizing skilled artisans worldwide, empowering those artisans to succeed, bridging the gap between the artisan and the customer, and eliminating the divide between the artisan and the customer are the steps Story Company is taking to change stories around the world.

Their new fall line was just introduced and features some pretty amazing products.

 

 MudLove

Mudlove now has a "make your own" option for their MudLove bands. That means you can personalize your band with any word you choose. These would be great of stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, kid gifts, or friend gifts. You can add a meaningful word, date, name, team- you name it, you can add it!



Mudlove also carries necklaces, magnets and t-shirts. Five dollars from every purchase goes to provide clean water in Africa.

 

Light Gives Heat 

Seeing "Africa rebuilt and renewed from the inside out to see people in the West living with Hope" is the vision of Light Gives Heat. LGH has four unique collections. My favorite item is the featured SUUBI D.I.Y Kit. The kit includes:

* SUUBI beads of your color of choice- Currently LGH has 8 color options from which to choose.
*Necklace clasp
*Approximately 52" of line
*D.I.Y instructions

These would be a fantastic gift for all the crafters in your life!

They have several unique necklaces and purses to choose from as well.

Shona- Crafts from the Congo

One of my favorite things is when friends shoot me an email or somehow share with me about about injustice fighting organizations that might be great for this blog! It really makes me so happy to know when others share this passion. This morning my friend Julie told me about Shona. Talk about perfect timing!


Here is a little about Shona-Crafts from the Congo in their own words: 
We are disabled craftspeople in Eastern Congo. We live in one of the most difficult regions of the world. We work in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Each item we sew is our claim to a better world. A world where we are seen not only for the challenges we face but for the beauty we create."


The artisans of Shona receive 100% of the profit. Aprons, bookmarks (this would be a perfect stocking stuffer), table runners, throw pillows, purses, and more. Here are just a few examples of their beautiful work:




Feeling adventurous?  Shona has a "grab bag". For only $20 you will receive a collection of 4 unique SHONA bags and purses.  Same great SHONA quality, same artisan postcard, but the colors and styles will be a surprise. These would be fantastic gifts for teens!

Avodah Coffee

Avodah is a Hebrew word that describes action that is simultaneously work, worship and service. Jordan and Jessica started their family run company with the desire to live avodah lifestyle. Because of that desire, a percentage of the profits of each coffee purchase go to support the work of NURU, Freeset, Samaritan's Purse and Compassion International.

Avodah Coffee offers single orgin coffees and original blends with fun names like:



And for the true coffee lovers, Avodah even has a "create your own blend" option!

The Christmas season is not complete without great coffee to share with friends and family. Check them out!

Every purchase makes a difference! 

Happy shopping!