We are all part of a world community. The amount of suffering that exists around the globe is unknown to most of us. There are incredible people & organizations who have taken direct action to transform individual lives from despair to incredible gratitude and joy. What a privilege it is to support the big-hearted individuals who have gone to the field to help others in dire need.

Our mission is to help you find increasing levels of health, balance, love and joy in your life, we share with you some of the people, organizations and companies that are making a difference in so many ways.

Women for Women International

Women for Women is an extraordinary organization that is restoring life, joy and self-respect to women who have been brutalized by war. They are actively training women to create businesses and restore respect and income to support their families.

Please watch this video, and if it's in your heart, share $27 a month to lift someone from despair to joy. After the video, you can read a summary of their program. Visit their www.womenforwomen.org to learn more and become a sponsor. We are sponsoring women right now and feel it's one way we can bring something positive to places where there is much suffering and darkness.

 

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HUB - Humanity Unites Brilliance

One other group that is also doing very empowering work globally is HUB. In HUB, all races, religions, and nationalities come together for global transformation and sustainable impact. HUB unites some of the most effective non-profit and for-benefit organizations to create our total package – of food, water, education, environmental and vocational training, financial literacy and micro-lending.

To visit their website and learn more about their work, please go to HUB and then choose the IMPACT link to learn more about how you can support the people in the field doing this important work. They have also set up educational programs for their members. The impact section will show you what programs they are already implementing.

 

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I, (Carolyn), was at a trade show and met Martii Guidim a partner in Intentional Serenity. The minute I met her I just loved her. As we talked she shared her story and the vision of Intentional Serenity. "Empowering children and families to live in their possibilities."

Martii and her partner Teena Dietz and their team are working with families to give them hope and new tools to create lives with possibilities and intentionality. I just love the idea of a new generation of children who know that they aren't victims, who can take charge of their lives. It's heart-warming and adds a lot of hope.

 

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Fair Trade - Helping out one bead at a time

Some of our favorite beads are from a couple organizations that are really working to promote fair trade and helping communities become sustainable.
Check our Shield Jewelry to see new aditions in both Kazuri Bead and Karen Hill Tribe Silver.

The Kazuri Story

Lady Susan Wood -Kazuri Founder - Lady Susan Wood was born (1918) in a mud hut in an African village. Her parents were missionaries from England in the Ituri Forest. Lady Wood was sent back to England to be educated and married Michael Wood, a surgeon. They came to Kenya in 1947. They were dedicated to making a difference and Lady Wood started a coffee plantation on the Karen Blixen estate, famous from the award winning movie "Out of Africa" , at the foot of the Ngon'g Hills, about 30 minutes from the bustling Nairobi city center in Kenya. Lady Wood was a visionary, an unsung hero of her time. She assisted her husband in founding the East African Flying Doctor Service, which expanded into the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) of which Michael Wood was Director General for 29 years. Michael Wood was knighted in 1985.

The beginnings of Kazuri Beads

In 1975, Lady Susan Wood set up a fledgling business making beads in a small shed in her back garden. She started by hiring two disadvantaged women, and quickly realized that there were many more women who were in need of jobs and so Kazuri Beads was created and began its long and successful journey as a help center for the needy women especially single mothers who had no other source of income. In 1988 Kazuri became a factory and expanded hugely with over 120 women and men. Here women are trained and apply their skills to produce these unique and beautiful beads and jewelry. The beads are made with clay from the Mt Kenya area thus giving them authenticity to their craft. The factory acts as a social gathering with the hum of voices continuing throughout the day. With unemployment so high, one jobholder often ends up providing for an "extended family" of 20 or more. Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Act

Kazuri Beads Today

Kazuri, the Swahili word for 'small and beautiful' produces a wide range of hand made, hand painted ceramic jewelry that shines with a kaleidoscope of African colors and Kenyan art that reflects a culture and appeal to a worldwide fashion market. Kazuri's beautifully finished products are made to an international standard and are sold worldwide. These standards are maintained through high training standards and a highly motivated management team.

In 2001 Mark and Regina Newman bought the company and their goal is to further increase the size of the company and to maintain the guiding philosophy ... to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of Kenyan Society.

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The Karen Hill Tribe

The Karen Hill Tribe makes some incredible fine quality silver beads. The silver they use is 95-98% pure (vs 92.5% for sterling)

Here's a little information from one of my suppliers about how our support and purchases of this fine silver is making a difference and helping a people retain their culture.

http://www.firemountaingems.com/encyclobeadia/

I don't have the full story on their operation and how many villages it supports and all that yet but you might be interested in some further information about them and some of the organizations that are helping them.

http://www.handclasp.org/Welcome.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_people

 

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Other Links and Information of Interest

Lynne McTaggart

Lynne McTaggart in her books "The Field " (which we mention on our home page) and "The Intention Experiment " goes a long way to help us step into a new paradigm.Her website Living the Field has a wealth of information and articles to spark new ideas and possibilities.

Lynne has created a far-reaching Internet community called "Living the Field Community".
We're excited about the discoveries and research she has been part of and to be part of this new community ourselves. Living The Field is the only organization in the world to synthesize the discoveries of the very latest frontier science into a coherent theory and a program for modern integrated living. If you join the online community, you get several free handouts, which we think you'll find quite interesting. We invite you to explore the possibilities with us.

Within her community are a large number of groups one of which is Children and the Field. " How can we change our approach to parenting and education? How can we nurture children's natural connection to the Field?" Join this group to share…Children and the Field

 

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Please share your stories and links to organizations who are making a difference.

f you have a project you are involved in or know about that is making a difference, please share with us, and we'll add it to our "Giving Back" page. The more we can all network and share the love, the more there is.

With love and gratitude

Virginia & Carolyn