Better Together
This month our Conscious Product Giveaway is the beautiful Unirse bracelet from Threads Worldwide.
Guatemala Bound
As I have traveled throughout many developing countries, on common thread I have found is the spirit of community, and the belief that no one person can thrive alone, they must come together to thrive. So many beautiful moments have been spent as I witnessed these collaborations unfold, seeing leaders in communities explain how they saw a path for abundance for their families and communities by naming a problem and finding a way to help individuals rise and build upon that to rise together.
In Uganda I visited with a man who noticed many tourists driving past their village to visit an area where chimpanzees could be seen in the nearby national forest. He thought if he could find a way to bring them into his village there would be economic opportunity for everyone. He began a program to train young men to identify the unique birds, wildlife, trees and agricultural products in the area and then trained them in language and communication, and working with tourists. They now lead many tours around their village area. They also created peanut butter production and opportunity for women to sell peanut butter as well as traditional woven baskets to tourists who were coming to take the guided trips. They have been able to build schools and improve their homes with solar power and rainwater storage systems. This man could have easily found a way to make his situation better as he was very bright, creative, and entrepreneurial, but he knew that by creating opportunity for the entire village they would see much greater impact.
This month Lotus Sojourns is joining forces with Threads Worldwide. Threads Worldwide partners with women around the world and curates and unique and beautiful collection of handcrafted jewelry. This partnership creates economic opportunities for women who are survivors of sex trafficking, women who are deaf, and women who are otherwise struggling with social, economic and political hardships. Through dignified work in the Fair Trade model, these women are able to pull themselves out of poverty, and thrive.
But we are strong, each in our purpose;
And we are all more strong together.
~Bram Stoker
I am excited to be bringing the Lotus Sojourn tribe on our first sojourn to Guatemala in November, where we will be connecting with some of the amazing women who work for Wakami and create the products Threads sells from the country. Wakami believes empowering women changes the world one community at a time, and 96% of their producers are women. They have seen that by providing women artisans with skills, training, and income opportunities, they are able to transform cycles of poverty in to cycles of prosperity.
In Guatemala, it is generally not culturally encouraged for women to be financially independent, so each woman has fought an uphill battle to prove she can work without compromising caring for her family.
These artisans reinvest their income to make their homes safer with improvements like:
making their homes softer with improvements like smokeless stoves and solar light bulbs.
empowering their entire communities to thrive by investing in organic farming, water filtration, and business development.
many now have the ability to send their children to school and return to school themselves.
I have had the pleasure of working with Threads Worldwide for the last three years as a Fair Trade Partner. I love being a part of this community of women which includes other Fair Trade Partners in the US, our Artisan Partners around the world and women who invite us into their homes to connect and share the work we do at Threads with their friends and families. I am excited to share this with my new Lotus Sojourns community and spread my passion for empowering and connecting women.
As I had seen in my travels and in my work with Threads, there is so much strength in the power of “Together.” I am happy to be offering one of you the beautiful ‘Unirse’ wrap bracelet/necklace to wear as a reminder of the power that is created when we ‘come together’ and see each of our value and beauty as equal and integral members of this global community.
Christine Winebrenner Irick
Founder, Lotus Sojourns
PS - Click here to join me on this Sojourn to Guatemala...I’d love to welcome you to our traveler community and share this experience with you!
Enter Our Giveaway!
Signup to receive our monthly newsletter and be entered to win our month Conscious Partner Giveaway! This month we’re giving away the Unirse Bracelet from Threads Worldwide. Check it out here.