We are so thrilled to announce our new Kenya products! Please check out both collections from the two organizations we support - Victorious Group and their beautiful jewelry made from bone and Power Women's Group's gorgeous beaded jewelry. We will be blogging much about these great organizations and amazing country soon - but for now I wanted to leave you with something one of the young founders of Victorious Group, Jack, said yesterday: "I always dream that my children go to better schools and have good life in future, not the kind of life I went thru and I'm also hoping that one day they will play a big role to become change makers, by helping other people in the society." This...
One of the things I love about the items we carry - is the majority of them are made from items that could be considered worthless. From Uganda we sell jewelry made from recycled paper. In our upcoming Kenya line - their jewelry is made from leftover bones from the butcher (it's amazing!). In South Africa we saw them making beautiful items from material scraps from local designers. The analogy is powerful for me. These artisans and people we support, have been told by society they're worthless. They have been abused, neglected, orphaned, raped, kidnapped, and forced into the worst of treatments for any human being. But, through the organizations we support - their dignity is being restored. Something beautiful...
When Madison was six she was home from school one day not feeling well. She was watching television and I was outside in the garden. Suddenly I heard yelling "mom! MOM!!!!" I came running panicked. The TV showed a World Vision ad just ending. Madi stood pointing at the television. "Mom. There are kids STARVING in the world." "I know, Madi." "Why aren't we doing something?!?!?" We had an amazing chat about ways we could do something. Madi drew a picture of herself and our World Vision sponsored child with the word "Remember" over it in big kid writing. Madi started selling these pictures and was interviewed by the local newspaper - and helped raise funds for World Vision. That...
Our vision at JustOne is two fold... to support the people who made our products financially... but also to raise awareness to their stories and start to make a difference. Someone compliments your JustOne necklace, you share the story of women widowed by AIDS trying to raise 6 children, of former child soldiers working to regain their dignity, of children abandoned and orphaned. Stories that are hard to hear... but important to know. And as you share the story - you enter the story. And you never know - the person you share with, may be JustOne person - but they may decide to get involved. To make change happen. To support. We ask people to send in their photos...
