Imagine shopping for a personalized Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone while knowing that you were also empowering a woman from an impoverished country with your purchase. Based in Astoria, HandCrafting Justice was created by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd as a not-for-profit fair trade, economic justice project that works mainly with women from developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
HandCrafting Justice promotes income generating projects that create an entrepreneurial spirit among the most disadvantaged segments of society. Specifically, their mission is to provide opportunities for economic and social transformation by marketing handcrafts, while raising awareness about the root causes of poverty, gender inequality, and related global issues.
For the upcoming romantic holiday, HandCrafting Justice is offering a wide array of beautiful products ranging from jewelry, scarves, purses, and pieces of pottery for your loved one. They also sell one-of-a-kind beaded Huichol hearts from rural Tepic, Mexico symbolizing the hopes and dreams of the indigenous people there. According to Maureen McGowan, director of the organization, the ultimate goal is to empower women economically in a trade that allows them to earn a dignified living wage.
There is no better gift for the woman in your life than one that liberates other women, in a global sense, with your purchase.
To shop for a fair trade Valentine’s gift online, please visit www.handcraftingjustice.org
