Global Citizens Network

This GCN team helps build a health center in Maili Tatu, Kenya. Photo | Courtesy of Global Citizens Network

Looking for a meaningful travel experience? The Global Citizens Network (GCN) organizes volunteer excursions that immerse travelers in the culture and daily life of the communities they visit. Short-term volunteer teams are partnered with local organizations to participate in projects aimed at meeting the community’s needs. In addition to brick-and-mortar projects, volunteers have assisted in several agriculture initiatives including shade grown coffee, rice harvesting, irrigation plans and community beautification and restoration. Participants pay a program fee of $800 USD to $2,200 USD — depending on the site and trip length. Fees cover transportation within the country/state, accommodation, meals, training materials and a modest donation to the community project at hand. Trip destinations include Arizona, Kentucky, Washington, Brazil, Canada, Nepal, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Thailand, Tanzania and Kenya. Summing up the experience, past participant Ted says, “It has become the most meaningful thing I’ve experienced in my life. It was more than a casual cultural exchange. I never felt like a tourist, I felt like I was coming home.”

global citizens network
130 n howell street
saint paul, mn 55104
usa
651.644.0960
info@globalcitizens.org
www.globalcitizens.org

Kiva

Armando owns a small store in Ecuador where he sells groceries and freshly baked bread. He will use a loan to purchase merchandise for his business. Armando is sure that with this investment he will obtain good earnings, which will provide economic security for his family. Photo | Courtesy of Kiva

Thuan sells fruits and vegetables at a local market in Vietnam. Her husband, a farmer, grows vegetables on 1,500.000 square meters (16,145 square feet) of land. They support two school-aged children on an income of $10 USD per person per month. They need a loan for $75 USD to purchase fruits and vegetables for the shop and to continue growing vegetables on their land. Photo | Courtesy of Kiva

Ever thought of dabbling in a new business venture? Do you have $25 USD to loan to someone transitioning out of poverty? Kiva could be just the organization you are looking for. By partnering with existing microfinance institutions, Kiva allows individuals to loan money to small businesses in the developing world. Through its Web site, the organization shares information about potential loan recipients, their businesses and the amount of money they need to meet their goals. The site profiles each individual’s story and features pictures from their project. Once the loan is repaid, the donor can decide to reinvest the money in another entrepreneur. Throughout the course of a loan (usually 6-12 months) an email journal is sent to the donor with updates from the sponsored entrepreneur. Kiva co-founder Jessica Flannery describes why this system works: “I think people respond to Kiva because they feel empowered to do something very tangible, something that may seem small but that has the power to change another person’s life forever. Kiva lets you empower another human being on the other side of the world — a real person with a name, a face, a story — in a specific and powerful way.”

kiva microfunds
3180 18th street
suite 201
san francisco, ca 94110
usa
giftcertificates@kiva.org
www.kiva.org

Fair Indigo

“Manos del Uruguay” or “Hands of Uruguay,” is a nonprofit that is committed to preserving and marketing the handmade creations of artisans left behind by Uruguay’s industrialization. Manos now boasts 350 members and guarantees them a fair wage, paid vacations, yearly bonuses, health insurance and retirement benefits. Photo | Courtesy of Fair Indigo

All of the profits generated from this handcrafted jewelry are shared among the members of the co-ops that produced it. Photo | Courtesy of Fair Indigo

Expanding the fair trade market to include apparel is the foundation of Fair Indigo, a fair trade clothing company based in Middleton, Wisconsin. Started by several former Lands’ End employees in 2006, Fair Indigo asserts that all its products are made by workers who are paid living wages for their skills. “We are the first mainstream apparel company to focus on paying fair wages to the people that make our clothes,” states Bill Bass, Fair Indigo’s CEO. Along with clothing, the company sells jewelry and personal care products. Fair Indigo’s products are crafted throughout the world — many in worker-owned factories and cooperatives that Bass visits regularly.

fair indigo
2140 w greenview drive
suite 7
middleton, wi 53562
usa
800.520.1806
service@fairindigo.com
www.fairindigo.com

TOMS Shoes

Children play in their new TOMS Shoes. Photo | Courtesy of TOMS Shoes

A trip to Argentina inspired Blake Mycoskie to create a new company committed to giving back. The poverty and health issues of the country left a lasting impression on Mycoskie, as did the spirit of the South American people. He felt a responsibility to do something positive for those who had so little. These factors spurred him to create TOMS Shoes for Tomorrow with the goal “to make life more comfortable for those without shoes.” The company produces shoes that are styled after a traditional Argentine rope-sole known as the “alpargata.” For each pair of TOMS shoes purchased, the company donates a pair to needy children on the buyer’s behalf.

Orchestrating what are known as “shoe drops,” TOMS delivers shoes to communities in need in Argentina and South Africa. The company plans to hold a shoe drop in the US in the summer of 2008.

TOMS shoes
3025 olympic boulevard
studio c
santa monica, ca 90404
usa
800.975.toms
info@tomsshoes.com
www.tomsshoes.com

Ten Thousand Villages

Artisans create goods to be sold through Ten Thousand Villages. Photo | Courtesy of Ten Thousand Villages

Since 1946, Ten Thousand Villages has been working with artisan groups throughout the world to create, trade and sell crafts while paying them fair wages. As a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association, Ten Thousand Villages prides itself on forming equitable and responsible trade relationships. The organization works with craftspeople in over 35 countries to create one-of-a-kind jewelry, personal accessories and home décor. Products are purchased from craftspeople living in developing countries where economic opportunities are limited and jobs are scarce. The organization works with the poorest sectors of society, including those who have physical or mental disabilities, people living with HIV, minorities and women. The artisans set the price for all products, labor, materials and a livelihood which Ten Thousand Villages honors. Artisans also receive 50 percent cash advances, which may be used as resource funds. Shop online or visit one of Ten Thousand Villages’ 160 North American retail stores.

ten thousand villages
704 main street
po box 500
akron, pa 17501
usa
877.883.8341
ordermgr@tenthousandvillages.com
www.tenthousandvillages.com

Whether you are interested in travel, livestock, fair trade or microfinance, there are many ways to incorporate a humanitarian act into a gift-giving occasion.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 11:38 am and is filed under NEED Magazine, Organizations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.