First Encounters...

Submitted by Buy The Change on Mon, 02/17/2014 - 22:00

There is a house in a quiet village in India where women meet on average once per week. They gather to sort fabrics, quilt, patch, stitch, sew and most importantly, for fellowship. Some women live nearby, and some walk a mile or more to go there. They are a spirited bunch led by a spirited woman named Sushmita. At this house, with these women, we had our first face-to-face visit with our artisans. 

I struggle to describe those first moments. Everyone was excited, and I’d say we all were acting uncomfortably proper. It was like we all were on our best behavior. It seemed that until we drank some tea and ate a bit of food all together did we all really settle in. Then, from there on out we were like old familiar friends meeting for the first time after ages had passed. They sat and quilted as we exchanged stories and talked business.

The women in this cooperative are very entrepreneurial! They showed us samples and prototypes of designs they had created. They were proud (and rightly so!) of their designs and creations. (That’s Sushmita on the left in the orange shirt!) It was remarkable to see them so engaged in the process and to genuinely be enjoying themselves in their work. I do believe that creation is one of the healing arts.

They are currently working on an order for us and it will include some brand-new products. Check out the handcrafted sari-bead jewelry below. These are pictures of the prototypes. The finished products are a little different, but you get the idea. We posted them on our Facebook pageand got some good feedback that was used in the final design!

Over the next couple of months we’ll be receiving lots of new products that we found during our adventure in Southeast Asia last month. Stay tuned to the blog and sign up for our newsletter for more stories from our trip and new product announcements.

Have a question for us? Is there a topic you’d like to hear more about? Comment on the blog or email me at shanan@buythechangeusa.org and let me know!

In Gratitude,

Shanan Bunzendahl

5 Things I Learned During My Month In Asia

Submitted by Buy The Change on Wed, 01/29/2014 - 08:07

Shanan and I just returned from an absolutely life changing month traveling in Asia, meeting women artisans who create beautiful, handmade products for Buy The Change. We also spent time with many of the amazing, caring people who work for cooperatives and non-profits (NGOs) helping women get their products to us and to you. We had hoped to be blogging while we were on the road but unfortunately discovered we could not access our contact lists on the mobile devices we had with us. Many of you were following along via Facebook and Instagram. We sooo loved reading your comments and words of encouragement. We will be writing about our experiences for weeks to come and will try to find ways to convey to you how important your purchases are for the women we met in India, Thailand and Cambodia.  Let's start with this:

1.  There Is No Limit To The Strength of The Human Spirit... We visited families in rural areas and women in the slums in Kolkata, India. We traveled to the Thailand/Myanmar border to visit women of the Karen Tribe living in the MaeLa refugee camp. We met numerous, home based, women producers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia including a polio survivor, a land mine victim, a woman living with HIV/AIDS and a woman blinded in an acid attack. They all welcomed us into their homes and workshops with such warmth and kindness. It was humbling each and every time. Clearly, they love their children and take pride in their homes and work. To say life is not easy would be a gross understatement, life for these women is hard, every single day.

2.  The Little Things That Are Annoying You Are NOT Important... From central heating and cooling to washing machines and tumble dryers, refrigerators, electric appliances, hot running water, clean tap water on demand, indoor toilets, traffic laws, an unlimited food supply and private bedrooms, we are living with more ease and convenience than seems possible. In the Mullahati slum in Kolkata there are two water pipes for 3000 families. The water runs for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. If you want water, which is not safe to drink, take a bucket and get in line. None of the homes we visited had indoor plumbing. In the majority of homes the entire family lives and sleeps in the same room which contains one bed and no other furniture. Almost all of the sewn products we sell were made on sewing machines that are foot powered. We live like royalty and have mostly forgotten how easy we have it. What was it that got on your nerves today?  What ruined your day because it caused you extra work or inconvenience?  What in the heck do we do with all the time we gain by having automated everything?  

3.  Poverty Forces People to Make VERY Difficult Decisions...  I was so ready to stand in judgment of anyone and everyone who participates in the trafficking of girls. As always, there is more to the story. Often traffickers visit villages with stories of jobs for girls in the city or next village. More often than not, those "jobs" are in brothels. Do the parents really believe the story or does extreme poverty and the idea of one less person to feed make them want to believe it? Even more horrific is the idea that the cash value of a girl is a potential survival plan for a family living in extreme poverty. Many times the trafficking of girls in Asia is a survival based, economic decision for a family. Consider this; if a family does not have the resources to house, feed and educate all of their children, the parents have to decide who will be fed and educated. If their son will stay with them and eventually bring his wife to help take care of them in old age, and their daughter will leave them to go live with the family of her husband after they pay a dowry for his family to take her, it makes sense to me that they would be more focused on their son?  I don't like it but it helps me understand the scope of this issue on a deeper level.  If there is enough money, girls are MUCH more likely to stay at home and go to school.

4.  Handmade Really Means Handmade...  Everything you buy from Buy The Change is handmade stitch by stitch, thread by thread. Watching the Karen women set up their weaving looms and women in India hand stitching and quilting sari blankets was a learning experience. I kept thinking "that takes so long". Yes, it takes a LONG time to weave a shawl one thread at a time or to create a piece of jewelry out of a bomb casing that was lying in a river bed for 30 years. Purchasing fair trade items costs a little more but we can all feel good in the idea that a woman was really paid for 3 days work for a piece that took 3 days to make.  

5.  We Each Have The Ability To Be A Force For Good In The World...  It doesn't matter what it is you do to be a positive force but it is essential that you do something. A big piece of why we loved the idea of starting Buy The Change was that it gives everyone the opportunity to participate in changing lives without requiring a huge amount of time or money. When you purchase one of our products you are literally changing the life of a woman and her family. You are often contributing to keeping a girl safe. At every visit we were asked, in a very polite way, "Are you going to order more of my products?"  Our answer was always the same "We are, and we are going to work very hard, every day, to tell people about you, your products and your amazing heart"

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my musings. If you like this post or feel inspired by it, please pass it on. Help us spread the word about the incredible women we met on this trip. I would love to hear from you in the comments section. I know you want photos!  They are coming tomorrow, I promise!  You can visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/buythechange to see posts from when we were traveling. Please give gifts that matter, to yourself and people you love, shop for our fairly traded, handmade by women products at www.buythechangeusa.org.

In Peace,

Kari

That Satisfied Feeling of Knowing You Gave It Your All

 

  And here we go.....

We just finished our annual, marathon “strategy” meeting.  This is when we look over how we did in 2013 and decide what to continue or change for 2014.  We look at where we got off track and where we shined, congratulate ourselves cause we mostly shined, then create our plan to do better. One thing is for sure, we gave it everything we had.

Next year we have big plans.  We will grow our Affiliate Program, amp up our marketing, streamline our systems and collaborate more. 

You will be able to host an online trunk show either by gathering friends together, hosting a hang out or ordering anytime during an established week.  Our products will be available in a few shops in Michigan and beyond.  The Monday Product of the Week email and coupon will continue.

As we have mentioned in previous posts, we will be spending the month of January traveling to meet many of our producer groups and women artisans in India, Thailand and Cambodia.  In addition to interviewing women and seeing where they create their magic, we will be keeping an eye out for exciting new products and re-ordering many established favorites. It isn’t breaking our hearts to be missing the coldest part of the year in Michigan either.

As we sign off for 2013 please know how excited we are for what is to come, how grateful we are that you have joined us on this journey and how blessed we feel to be living our dream.

Our next post, with lots of photos, will be from India.  We will be ringing in 2014 in Kolkata (Calcutta), WOW!  Have you been to India, Thailand or Cambodia?  Leave us a comment if you have some tips or suggestions for must see places.

Happy Holidays!

Kari and Shanan

 

 

Dream sign available from thebackporchshoppe on Etsy

 

 

 

An Ongoing Story of Survival

In a recent blog post we asked a question about how much information concerning the lives of our artisans is interesting and motivating to you, our customers. The response was almost unanimous in saying that you DO want to know the stories of struggle and survival concerning specific women who make the products offered by Buy The Change.

This week we are starting a series focusing on our artisans and the countries where they live.
Our first artisan story is about Ms. Srey Oun from Cambodia.

Cambodia is a country still working to overcome years of war and genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime during the 1970’s.  All of the women we work with in Cambodia are disabled in some way. They each own their own, small, home based business and rely on the organization Craftworks Cambodia in Phnom Penh to help them find wholesale customers. Buy The Change buys products, through Craftworks Cambodia, at a wholesale price set by each woman artisan. This is our “trade over aid” way of being part of the solution.

Ms. Srey Oun is 33 years old with one 4 year old daughter. She survived one of the most brutal times in Cambodian history and then encountered a personal disaster.

She was the victim of an acid attack in Jan 1999. Her husband left her when she was 4 months pregnant, due to pressure from his family. Being unemployed and with no income to support her daughter, living in a country with no system of caring for the poor, even those with disabilities, she used her skill of crochet to make craft items, bags, wallets, coasters, cushion covers, friendship bracelets, hair bows and more, hoping to be able to sell them in the local markets; it was not easy to sell her products.

Thanks to her association with Craftworks Cambodia, she now sells to international companies, including Buy The Change. Prior to this she had few customers. It was impossible for her to find customers outside of Cambodia because of the language barrier and her blindness.

Ms. Srey Oun always encourages herself to remain optimistic as she struggles to provide her daughter with food and an education as well as supporting her elderly mother. Discrimination is an ongoing issue as many neighbors are unaccepting of disabilities, including blindness.

Srey Oun states that she really enjoys knitting bags, wallets and other products. “This work makes my life full of pleasure, dignity and helps my daughter gain life changing education in the future.”

We hope to meet Ms. Srey Oun during our visit to Cambodia in January 2014. We will carry with us messages of respect and encouragement from the women of the United States.

You can purchase handbags made by Ms. Srey Oun on the Buy The Change webstore.  Each is slightly different due to being handmade.

Each and every bag sold gives us the opportunity to purchase additional bags from Srey Oun. By shopping at Buy The Change you are directly contributing to the lively hood and wellbeing of women around the world, including the 3 generations of women in Ms. Srey Oun’s family.

In Gratitude,

Kari and Shanan


P.S. Join us on our journey! We want every woman to have a happy, peaceful and empowered life. You can join us and support our cause in many ways: host a trunk show, spread the word about our mission and the importance of buying fairly-traded products, become an affiliate, follow Buy The Change on Facebook and Twitter, sign up for our mailing list, subscribe to our blog, and shop online!
Please forward this message to a friend, tweet it and post it.

Focus on Possibilities or Dark Realities?

  

As most of you know, we were inspired by the books Half The Sky and Global Girlfriend when we made the crazy, but perfect, decision to start Buy The Change.  What really spoke to us in both of these books was a focus on each of us doing what we can, no matter how large or small, to become part of the solution.
The question that keeps surfacing as we go about the daily tasks of trying to grow this company into a world changing superpower is this “How much should we focus on the challenges faced by our artisans, which are sometimes horrific?” There is a dilemma here because we are firm believers in the power of creating a vision of the outcomes we want, rather than the problems we are trying to fix. We are torn between focusing on the possibilities trade and education can bring, how each blanket, bag or piece of jewelry offers opportunity for a woman, and the risk of not inspiring people to get on board by telling them the full scope of the issues faced by women and girls around the world.
Over the past two years we have become immersed in the issues women and girls face, things like, human trafficking, violence and extreme poverty, among many others.  Are the gruesome details of these stories the best way to motivate people or is the truth about the power of sustainable income for women enough? The more people we meet that are committed to being change makers, the more styles and methods we see.  What do you think is the right balance?  Please share your thoughts.
In Gratitude,
Kari and Shanan

P.S. Join us on our journey! We want every woman to have a happy, peaceful and empowered life. You can join us and support our cause in many ways: host a trunk show, spread the word about our mission and the importance of buying fairly-traded products, become an affiliate, follow Buy The Change on Facebook and Twitter, sign up for our mailing list, subscribe to our blog, and shop online!
Please forward this message to a friend, tweet it and post it. 

"Live, Travel, Adventure, Bless...."

 

 

The single most frequently asked question by our customers is “have you ever traveled to visit the artisans who make your products?” Our answer up to this point has been a simple “no, but we will”. Well folks, that day has finally come. After two wonderful years in business, we just booked our first trip to visit some of our favorite producer groups! Years of developing virtual relationships with our contacts Jaya, Sushmita, and Thavry have progressed to the point of finally a face-to-face meeting. This has been an anticipated step in our process since day one. We’re so excited. While it’s still a couple months away we couldn’t wait to share the news with you.
Visiting Connexions Vocational Training Center, Astral Exports, Craftworks Cambodia, and W.E.A.V.E. is an important next step for Buy The Change. Along with cementing the relationships we have established with these groups, this trip will also bring greater awareness and open our souls like only world travel can do.
Thinking about meeting this woman…

And these women…

 

And maybe even this woman…Somaly Mam…

And our souls are already stirring.
“Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry”.

 

 

We Are All In This Together

We recently attended a panel discussion on women and gender studies at Wayne State University in Detroit. An interesting point was made by one of the panelists about international aid; specifically, why should we help people in other countries when there are so many people here in need? First of all, there are lots of opinions on the matter, but we believe that there is absolutely a time and a place for pure and true aid. People in the lowest of lows need help to stand on their own two feet before you can “teach them how to fish”. Once they are on their feet, there is also a place for business building and creating sustainable, longer-term opportunities so people do not become dependent on handouts and can learn to support themselves. That’s why we have both our retail business “Buy The Change” and our non-profit “Buy The Change Foundation”.


Clearly, our response to the “why help people in other countries when people here need help?” question is “let’s help them all”. The answer of helping “our own” before we help “them” is a mindset we hope will soon get the paradigm shift it so deserves. The “us” and “them” piece is very divisive, and the truth is that we are all in this together. There is balance in saying “nourish those who need it” with no stipulations. Not one’s needs above another.

 

“Let’s help them all” – too big of a job? Nah. Because…we are all in this together, and there are roughly 7 billion of us. Now, just imagine each person doing just one thing for the greater good...7 billion acts of random (or not-so-random) kindness. Wow.

 

We'll end with this wonderful African Proverb: "If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

 

Thanks for being "in this" together with us!

 

Shanan and Kari

 

P.S. Join us on our journey! We want every woman to have a happy, peaceful and empowered life. You can join us and support our cause in many ways: host a trunk show, spread the word about our mission and the importance of buying fairly-traded products, become an affiliate, follow Buy The Change on Facebook and Twitter, sign up for our mailing list, subscribe to our blog, and shop online!

 

Please forward this message to a friend, tweet it and post it.