Day 15-- a fair trade for Guatemalan kids

What do gorgeous weaving, a clown, street kids and Oregon City have in common?  The connections made through Fair Trade, compassion and creativity.

The story of the Ruth y Nohemi weaving cooperative is one I love to tell. 

Ruth y Nohemi is a weaving cooperative located in Chontola, near Chichicastenango, Guatemala. In the late 1970s Pastor Diego Chicoj Ramos was appointed as a layman worker in the villages surrounding Chichicastenango. This area experienced some of the worst violence associated with the nation’s civil war, and Diego’s ability to work with the villagers was severely hindered during this time. When he was finally able to visit the villages of Chichicastenango after the war, he found that many women had lost their husbands in a raid on the church of Chontala.

Diego and his wife Juana dedicated themselves to helping the local women rebuild their lives. In 1986, the Ruth y Nohemi project was officially founded as a way for women to organize and market their handicrafts. Now more than 15 widows weave bright lengths of cloth on backstrap looms, and young men, trained as tailors, sew the cloth into finished products such as vests, bags, wallets and briefcases. These craftspeople are determined to ensure the survival of their families, their village and their culture, which they represent with the brightly woven floral designs in their textiles.

We sell bags, scarves, and toys made by this inspiring cooperative.  Typical Fair Trade story, except that these amazing goods come to us by way of a committed group of volunteers in Oregon City who use the proceeds of the sales to support a day school in Guatemala City.  Here is their story.

Just one of the many reasons I love bringing Small Planet Trading to you.  DeLona

Day 14 of 40 days of Fun

Scavenger Hunt

Clue of the Day:  I can help you send out blessings to the universe.  Prize:  Win me!

Answer:  Tibetan Prayer Flags from Nepal

Winner: Angel Green of Hood River

Four Years!!

It's our Anniversary and we're having a store wide sale


Come in Today and Tomorrow and Spin for your Discount-- You are guaranteed at least 14% off and it could be 24%, 34%, 44% or even 54% off!

Scavenger Hunt Clue for Sunday: 

I'm soft, useful and one of a kind

Prize:  Equal Exchange Snack of Your Choice

Winner:  Hope Ryan from Boise, ID

Scavenger Hunt Clue of the Day for Saturday: 

I tell a story of village life. 

Prize:  Box of Tea - your choice

Winner: Madison Hannah discovered the gold coin behind this Zimbabwe Tapestry created by Sarudzai Shonge!!

It's First Friday

We're kicking off the weekend this Friday at 5pm with the guitar tunes of John Mendez!

From 6-8pm Joshua & Priscilla Benavides join us to chat about their
coaching program, upcoming Community Ed. classes and share yummy raw
food goodies!

For twelve years, this local brother and sister team have been studying and teaching cutting-edge nutrition and lifestyle transformation technologies.  As Health Counselors certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, both have worked with psychotherapists, health coaches, massage therapists, and yoga practitioners to balance and vitalize their nutrition and lifestyle and explode their capacity to love and take care of themselves, their bodies, and their lives.

Day 11 of our 40 Days of Fair Trade

Clue of the day: I'm an heirloom and I protect farmers livelihoods.

Prize of the day:  Eighth Wonder Heirloom Rice

Winner: Nicole White

Check out this video on indigenous, sustainable rice cultivation in the Philippines.  The terrace farming photos are amazing!  Certainly gave me a new appreciation for the blessings energy and cultural preservation that goes into the growing and harvesting of this age old rice! ~ Karen

Day 10 of our 40 Days of Fair Trade

No one found the clue yesterday-- so we're doubling the prize for today.  Come in, find today's clue and get 40% off your purchase.  Also, if you correctly guess yesterday's clue, I'll give you chocolate.  

Clue of the day: Healthy, tasty and I protect Rain Forest trees

Prize of the day: 40% off your purchase

Winner: Carolie Howard

Plus today is Common Good Thursday.  Today we are featuring Kiva.  25% off all sales today will be loaned to an entrepreneur somewhere in the world.

Scavenger Hunt

Day 9 of our 40 Days of Fair Trade

Clue of the day: Useful and pretty, once used to connect communications.

Prize of the day:  Free bar of Chocolate

Winner: Amy Fleischer

Fair Trade FAQ's for Day 8

We're off today, so here's some reading for you.

The link takes you to the Fair Trade Resource Network -- a favorite non-profit of ours. 

You'll get the basics of Fair Trade and can click around for many more resources.  See you Wednesday for the next scavenger hunt clue.