Return to Afghanistan

Sometimes when you depart a country you have a feeling that you will return; Afghanistan was not one of them when I left my first visit a year and a half ago. It is a nation deeply troubled, immersed in war, torn apart by forces from without as well within, deeply divided by religious and tribal ideologies, and racked by poverty. It was for these reasons that I had doubts of ever setting foot on its soil again, and it is precisely for these reasons that we are returning.

On that first trip we found a country whose tourist industry was comprised solely of military forces and foreign nationals, and an export trade (other than opium) nearly non existent. Three decades of war have destroyed traditional income-generated opportunities and created a culture dependent on those who serve the war machine. Nor does it have the infrastructure in place to support the export of artisan crafts. In December of 2007 we placed our first orders with 6 different artisan groups. Although they were ready to ship in January, an exporting process whose details were little known to artisans and

authorities alike, corruption, and in one instance terrorism and death of the cargo specialists who were managing the shipment, delayed it until September.

Our first trip brought a ray of hope to artisans, a hope that their crafts could become the basis for sustainable income for themselves and their families. Westerners, and particularly the U.S., have acquired an image for starting programs of good work and then walking away before they can become self-sufficient and sustainable. One World Projects does not want to add fuel to this stereotype. Hence we are embarking on this second trip to Afghanistan for one week to reconfirm our commitment to our existing artisan suppliers and to develop relationships with new Afghan artisans.

In the second week of June we will take you with us to India to visit the slums of Chennai, where blind and handicapped women weave beautiful handbags from recycled plastic bottles, to Delhi where Tibetan refugee artisans produce brocade purses and yoga mat carriers, then onto Moradabad where Muslim families make works of art from recycled sheet metal, and finally to Dharamsala to visit Tibetan nuns. 

Please come back to read our blog over the next 2 or 3 weeks; we hope that it will be an enjoyable and educational experience.

Something To Talk About: Green Mobile Phones and Accessories

The International Herald Tribune reported an interesting trend at the Mobile Congress in Barcelona earlier this month: "green" cell phones made of recycled and biodegradable materials that require less energy than regular cell phones.

Until now, there have been few environmentally-friendly cell phone options available to consumers. This seems, however, to be quickly changing! Nokia, the Finland-based manufacturer that made one of every 3 cell phones sold last year, introduced "green" features on a number of its mobile products, including sensors that detect natural light to allow the phone to save energy, and chargers that beep when they are fully charged, cuing the owner to unplug them from the wall socket.

Motorola showed off its MOTO W233 Renew, which it touts as the first carbon-neutral phone. The W233 is made using plastic from recycled water bottles and can itself be recycled, arriving to customers in 100% recycled paper with a prepaid shipping envelope for customers to send in their old phones for recycling. Motorola also pays to offset the carbon emissions created to manufacture and distribute the phone, and to recycle it at the end of its life. 

Sony Ericsson presented GreenHeart, a cell phone made of recycled, biodegradable components that was actually released in the U.S. late last year. GreenHeart's charger also uses less energy than other chargers when it's plugged into the wall. Both ZTE and Digicel, from China and Latin America respectively, offered low-cost solar-powered options that would make mobile communications possible for 2 billion people that don't have electricity.

If these new offerings are an indication of where the mobile industry is headed, we are clapping our hands in delight! One World Projects is also proud to offer "green" accessories to accompany your new mobile, including cell phone holders that are handmade from recycled Huipils (pronounced wee-peel), traditional blouses worn by Mayan women in Guatemala. Available in multiple sizes and colors, each holder comes with a handy button loop that can be attached to belt loops or key rings for easy access and has been handcrafted by an income-generation project that makes work for disadvantaged women in Guatemala. Please browse our selection of cell phone holders starting at $12.

Thanks for reading and for your support of sustainable and socially-responsible business. Our 11,000 artisan partners (and Mother Earth) thank you too! 

Sincerely,

The Team at One World Projects

Afghan Teddy Bears Have Arrived!

What a great start to the weekend...

For those of you who have been following our blog, our first teddy bear shipment has finally arrived from Afghanistan. These bears are a part of Teddies For Two, the share-a-bear program that allows customers to buy two handmade teddy bears for just $28 - one bear is shipped to you, the customer, while the second bear is donated to a child living in a refugee camp or orphanage in Afghanistan. In many cases, your donated bear may be the first toy this child ever receives! (Wholesale customers, please contact us for pricing).

The bears are handmade by the Children and Women Education Fund (CWEF), a Kabul-based NGO that provides basic education and vocational training in sewing and embroidery to women and teen girls from the lowest income districts of Kabul. Besides receiving an education and fair wages to support her family, she develops her creativity and grows in self-esteem, learning that in her hands she holds the key to a better future.

Each bear comes dressed in traditional Afghan vest and "pakol" hat with button joints for movable arms and legs. (Not appropriate for children under seven). Please click here to read about our holiday delivery of teddy bears to an orphanage in Kabul.

Thanks again for your support of Afghan women and children, and for helping make Teddies For Two a reality.

Have a great weekend!

The Team at One World Projects

Looking On The Green Side: U.S Stimulus Would Cut Climate Emissions

A new Greenpeace report published this week reminds us that each cloud has a silver lining: Taxpayers' wallets will be hurting after the economic stimulus, but the proposed plan will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 13 million tonnes per year. That's the greenhouse-gas equivalent of turning off the electricity in 7.9 million U.S. homes or taking 13 million cars off the roads! "The fact that the federal government could spend so much money to slow global warming means we've really turned the page as a country," said Kert Davies of Greenpeace.

Please click below or paste this link into your browser to read the entire article: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentnews/idUSTRE5146EI20090205?feedType=RSS&feedname=environmentNews

You can do your part to curb global warming by making little green changes in your daily routine. These could include (but aren't limited to) bringing your own shopping bag to the store, passing up the paper cup for a reusable travel mug, or by embracing earth-friendly fashions, such as recycled tire accessories from One World Projects. Not only are these hip handbags made of items that would otherwise go to waste, they're keeping roads and ravines clean by utilizing discarded car and truck tires.

Even the smallest green change makes a world of difference. On behalf of the World, thank you!

Teddy Bear Project in Afghanistan

Happy New Year!

Last year, One World Projects began participating in a teddy bear distribution project in Afghanistan. For each teddy bear that we sell, another is donated to a child living in an orphanage or refugee camp in Afghanistan. Below is an update about our latest donation of bears, which were delivered this holiday season to four different Afghan orphanages by Wazhma Sadat, one of our Afghan artisan partners. What she found touched our heart, as we know it will touch yours.

When Wazhma gave teddy bears to some of the children, it was the first toy they had ever received! This is Shazia (photo on left) just after receiving her bear. Shazia's father was killed in a bomb blast two months before she was born and her mother remarried, abandoning Shazia and her two siblings as she couldn't afford to raise her first husband's children. Shazia now lives with an uncle (her father's brother) and spends most of her time at the orphanage. Her smile at receiving her first toy makes all our efforts in Afghanistan worthwhile.

The teddy bears are handmade by CWEF, a female artisan group in Afghanistan. Each is wearing a vest and matching "pakol," a traditional Afghanistan hat. If you would like to support this project, please e-mail us at sales@oneworldprojects.com and let us know how many you'd like to reserve. The next shipment of bears will be arriving in 2-3 weeks. They make a thoughtful gift for a friend, co-worker, or your own child, and we will donate a matching bear to a child in an orphanage or school in Afghanistan, who will quite possibly, like Shazia, be receiving his or her first toy ever. Price: $28.00 (For two bears, one for an Afghan child and one for you).

Thank you to all those who have been supporting this effort in Afghanistan!

Without you, we would not be putting smiles on these children's faces.

With gratitude,

The Team at One World Projects

Santa Claus Arrives at Lake Titicaca

Dear Friends:

Aligned with our mission and to reflect the spirit of giving during the holiday season, One World Projects and Charity USA teamed up again this year to support the Believe and Dream Foundation in Bolivia with generous donations. The Foundation was started by one of our in-country coordinators, Mariel Mercado Ramos, and hosts a variety of charitable projects including donating school supplies to children who live in prison with their incarcerated parents, a project to transform discarded plastic bottles into economic opportunities for disadvantaged artisans, and an ambitious undertaking to save the llama industry in Bolivia by providing training an market opportunities for llama ranchers.

Each year at Christmas time, members of the Ramos family and some of their friends make a long pilgimage from their homes in La Paz to handout toys and bags of food to children of economically-disadvantaged families who have never experienced the joy of receiving gifts at Christmas. This year, over 2000 toys and bags of food will be distributed to children in communities from Tiquina to Copacabana; many of which can only be reached by boat.

The well known quote of St. Francis of Assisi comes to mind, "...for it is in giving that we

receive..." If you were to see the smiles on the children's faces and the joy in their hearts then you must ask yourself, "who is doing the giving and who is doing the receiving?" It is impossible to separate the giver from the receiver.

Thank you for your support throughout 2008. It is your purchase that makes it possible for us to support Foundations like Believe and Dream and thousands of artisans and their families. Together we can create a spirit of giving that changes lives around the world.

The entire Team at One World Projects would like to wish you a blessed holiday season and New Year filled with peace, love and prosperity.

One World Projects on the Today Show

One World Projects pottery Ayacucho Peruvian piggy banks were mentioned on the Today Show on Monday, December 15th. The pottery piggy banks are baked in wood or gas-fired ovens to cure and are painted by hand. There are different styles and choose from and make a great holiday gift. Proceeds from the sales of these cute piggy banks help Peruvian artisans in small home-based workshops. To see these piggy banks go to: www.oneworldprojects.com.