Last Minute Meaningful Gifts!

Need some last minute gifts for the holidays? How about buying something that will make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate? I love buying gifts that have meaningful backgrounds and that also give back to people in need through the purchase. It's like giving a double gift!

Here are my top picks this holiday season :

#1 A World Away's Olive Wood Napkin Rings

Have someone on your list who is tricky to buy for? Consider getting them a gift for their home. These beautiful Olive Wood Napkin Rings are handcrafted in the West Bank out of local olive trees by artisans in the Holy Land.

Olive wood is an important part of the cultural identity of the people in this region and woodcarvers receive much higher wages than the average minimum wage. By purchasing these napkin rings for just $26, you will help this great job continue to be available at Shepherd's Field Factory.

#2 Ten Thousand Village's Handmade "Village's Airways" Toy Plane Set

Need something for that special child in your life? Look no further than this fun, sturdy, handmade Village's Airways Toy Plane Set painted in bright colors and featuring six passengers from all over the world!

Made in Sri Lanka from sustainable composite wood, the purchase of this airplane will help give people living in Sri Lanka's rural areas fair employment where they would otherwise not find any. For just $44, your purchase will directly support Golden Palm Crafts in Sri Lanka.

#3 Kate Spade's Hand in Hand Gold Bangle Bracelet

I thought of a few people on my list who would love this Kate Spade 14k gold "Hand in Hand" bangle and I'm sure you can, too!

Not only is it a gorgeous bracelet, but it was designed to bring women all over the world into a partnership to support women who are trying to rebuild their lives in war-torn countries. To remind the wearer of this partnership, the bracelet is engraved with "hand in hand" on the outside and "there's strength in numbers" on the inside. Buy it now for only $48! 25% of your purchase will be donated to Women for Women International.

# 4 The Body Shop's Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream

My last pick is a gift you could buy for almost anyone on your list. Seriously, who DOESN'T need hand cream every now and then? The Body Shop's Soft Hands Kind Heart hand cream is not just a great beauty product, but it is working to put an end to sex trafficking of women and children all over the world.

Count up the number of people on your shopping list and buy a bottle for each of them right now, for only $7!! The best part of this purchase??? 100% of it's proceeds will be donated to ECPAT International!!

America's Most Wanted travels to Cambodia

One of my (most recent) and biggest heroines, Somaly Mam, was featured on America's Most Wanted tonight. I'm sorry to those who missed it for not posting this BEFORE the show aired this evening, but I still wanted to announce it anyway.

I am a big fan of AMW and try to catch it as often as I can on Saturday evenings. I think their approach to uncovering criminals is very successful and I applaud their work. I was THRILLED to find out that they were going outside of their normal boundaries to feature Somaly's work in Cambodia and more importantly, to uncover the darkness that is human trafficking to America's Most Wanted's viewers. Thank you, AMW and John Walsh for your important work!!

Here is a photo taken from AMW's website of Somaly Mam and John Walsh with some of the children Somaly has helped rescue from human trafficking in Cambodia...

For those of you that missed it - here's a short video clip from the show.

Will you march in with the Saints?

A dear friend of mine (who also happens to be my future sis-in-law!) brought this song to my attention a couple days ago and I cannot stop listening to it. She said that she thought of EHS and the whole fight against trafficking and was inspired to action through the words below... you'll see why once you read them. Even more once you listen to Sara Groves singing it! It has been my inspiration over the last two days...

When the Saints - Sara Groves

Lord I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me
And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sister standing by the dying man's side

I SEE THE YOUNG GIRL HUDDLED ON THE BROTHEL FLOOR

I SEE THE MAN WITH A PASSION COME AND KICKING DOWN THE DOOR

I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

AND WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN,

I WANT TO BE ONE OF THEM
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them

Are you a MINDLESS shopper??

What a lot of us don't realize a lot of the time is that we MAY be supporting human trafficking/unfair labor within our everyday purchases. Do you know where each and every item you buy throughout your day comes from? I don't mean the "made in..." stamp, I mean, do you know exactly where, as in, what type of warehouse was it made in. And, who made it? How much were they paid? How many hours must they work in a day? Have any of these thoughts crossed your mind while shopping?

Has THIS crossed your mind?

I have to admit. On occasion, and more often than not, if I am being 100% honest, I am guilty of mindless shopping. My definition of mindless shopping is just that : Not thinking about the origins of the product you are buying.

In an effort to become more supportive of ANTI-trafficking, I have researched fair trade shopping and found that it is somewhat hard to find - and might I add, much more expensive. Being the frugal person that I am, I cringe when purchasing something that I know I can buy cheaper elsewhere. However, I have been working on reminding myself of the people - literally all the way across the world from me, working their butts off for little or nothing, not because they necessarily WANT to, but because they HAVE to or are being FORCED to - in order to make me a shirt, or a purse, or a pair of jeans for a bargain price. Many of them MUCH younger than the legal working age.

In a particular sweatshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, children between the ages of 12-16 are forced to work 14 hour days with no education. They receive hardly any payment for their work, are exploited, and only given 2 short breaks for a small amount of food and tea to drink throughout the entire day. One child at the shop even stated his fear of standing up or drinking water because of what their boss might do to him if he did. Read more about their story, here.

The sad truth is, this is happening all over the world RIGHT NOW. Hundreds of companies around the world and especially in the U.S. are guilty of receiving their supplies from these types of businesses abroad. Why? It keeps costs down in order to deliver an attractive product at a cheap price to our consumer-driven country, while still giving the company a hefty profit rather than the ones putting the actual hard work into the production of it.

You may be surprised to hear names of companies who refuse to release information about their production facilities abroad. Companies like Abercrombie & Fitch, Ikea, Walmart, LL Bean, Pier 1 Imports, and Hanes are all guilty of unfair trade practices.

According to the International Labor Rights Forum, Gymboree, Hanes, and LL Bean all used forced child labor in 2010 based in Uzbekistan to supply their cotton. Children as young as 7 years old are forced to work in cotton fields all day long and even live in dormitories in remote areas during the time that they would normally be in school.

Ikea, Kohls, and Walmart all purchase bed linens from the same textile factory in Denizili, Turkey, where four workers have died in 2010 from unsafe working conditions.

Is the little less cash REALLY worth that? Is it really worth supporting something so awful?

Think about it next time you grab that awesome deal off the rack...Shop with the 2010 Shop with a Conscience Consumer Guide and help put an end to sweatshops and unfair trade!

Born Into Brothels

I stumbled upon a used book/dvd sale at my local library today and came across the movie "Born Into Brothels." I had heard about this film before in one of my online searches but didn't know much information about it. As it was only $1.00 at the sale, I decided I couldn't pass it up. As soon as I returned home, I looked up the film online and now cannot wait to watch it.

Born Into Brothels was filmed within the Red Light District of Calcutta, India and released in 2004. Although the film was directed by Zana Briski, it was filmed largely in part by children living within the RLD themselves. Briski originally sought to film the lives of India's sex workers but found out that she would not be able to access their lives enough to portray a truthful image. As a result, she relocated to Calcutta to become a part of the residence there and met many children who had literally been born into the brothels by the sex workers. She forged relationships with these children, taught them basic photography skills, and gave them cameras so that they could film the inside world of the brothels that outsiders could not capture.

The result of was more than Briski had bargained for. Briski decided to use the children's new photography skills to give them a chance at a better life. The film gained so much attention worldwide that many of the children were able to escape the brothels and enter boarding schools where they received an education and a proper place to live. Unfortunately, some of the children weren't given permission by their guardians within the brothels to leave and were forced to return by the film's end.

I will give a full report with my own opinion as soon as I get a chance to pop this film into the DVD player! In the meantime, check out the project here.

Updates!

Recent News :

"New Jersey is crossroads in sordid work of human trafficking" : by Herb Jackson

New Jersey is a crossroads for many types of human trafficking and the government is cracking down to put an end to it. Many factors contribute to New Jersey being highly susceptible to human trafficking including it's tri-state location with New York and Pennsylvania, it's transportation network, pockets of poverty, high wealth, and cultural diversity with many immigrant neighborhoods. Read more about recent specific cases here.

"Calif. Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Combat Human Trafficking" : by Valerie Gotten

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB657, a law that requires major retail sellers to disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their direct supply chains. Check out the details here.

What you can do:

Think Twice Before Purchasing Chocolate...

"Your Favourite Chocolate could be made through exploitative Child Labour." by George Okore

Protect Your Children...educate them in being aware of the dangers of being lured into sexual exploitation with Adults Saving Kids educational resources.

Send Survivor Care Packages

Search in your area for rehabilitation centers for survivors of human trafficking and donate items to them for the survivors! Here are a few centers to check out :

Veronica's Voice SAFE Center in Nebraska

Dawn's Place in Philadelphia

Peace Rehabilitation Center in Nepal

Coming Soon! The Well Rescue House in Mexico City

Wonderfully Made

Looking to start your Christmas/Holiday shopping early? Girls, want to treat yourself to something nice? Guys, need a special gift for that special someone? ...Make a difference in the world by finding out WHO you are supporting/NOT supporting at the bottom of the production chain for the things you buy...SUPPORT SURVIVORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING TO HELP THEM ACHIEVE BETTER LIVES!!

Our West Coast Coordinator/Twitter Extraordinaire, Dianne, found another awesome business, Wonderfully Made, that directly supports survivors of human trafficking!

Wonderfully Made is a jewelry company that provides an alternative means of income for victims of human trafficking. By giving survivors a successful profession, it helps them from being vulnerable to returning to the slave industry. The jewelry is handmade by survivors and is produced into high quality products desired by Western consumers. Each piece is unique and meant to serve as a conversation starter to deliver a message of hope for victims of human trafficking.

Check out some of my favorite pieces :

This "Soleil Bracelet" includes a variety of quality beads and glass on a gold-fill chain. $75

These "Confetti Earrings" are made exclusively for Wonderfully Made by NightLight Designs in Bangkok, Thailand. They are a combination of black pearls and black lip shell beads clustered together on sterling silver earwires. Originally $50, now on sale for $25!

The long term vision of Wonderfully Made, taken directly from their website, is as follows :

That every trafficked victim and prostitute has the opportunity

to realize the freedom, beauty, and hope found in Jesus Christ.