I love how small our world is becoming when it comes to being able to give those who need it a helping hand.
I’ve previously mentioned our involvement with Kiva. Each of us made an investment of $100 about 4 years ago and since then we have loaned and reloaned that same hundred bucks to assist several entrepreneurs in third world countries $25 at a time. I’ve helped launch a motorcycle taxi in Honduras, bought cattle for a tiny ranch in Mexico and invested in other ventures in countries in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. We’ve both been paid back every time. It’s a wonderful thing.
There are lots of projects that help people help themselves and one that caught my eye came to me via the Design Sponge newsletter. A UK company is working with textile-making women in India to create traditional fabric designs. The fabrics are made in Nepal. Each step along the way, those involved are earning a fair wage but maybe even more important, they’re gaining experience and self-confidence.
The company is called Stitch By Stitch and its products aren’t cheap but they have heart and they are beautiful in their simplicity. It does feel better to lean on a pillow that I know has been made by someone who was treated fairly for their work and their imagination. And if buying it makes a woman half a world away feel better about herself and her lot in life, it truly is the least I can do.