Who is she?

Inside my new purse, there is a tag with a name handwritten on it: Araba.

It's not a new boutique brand. It's not the name of the former owner, although those of you who know me know how I love consignment shopping. It's not even the brand- which, FYI, is Global Mamas. It's the name of the woman who made my purse. By hand. In Ghana.

Today Hubby & I rode to work together, dropping the girls at the church day care before he went to his office and I went across the street to work at camp. When lunchtime came, he wanted to go downtown to eat with a bunch of guys from his (near champion, one more game to go!) softball team. I agreed to go with him, not to tag along and eat with the boys, but to visit my favorite store: World Next Door.

I don't get to go into it very often, but I love it. I love the colors and patterns and hand crafted designs. I love the variety of household items, clothing, stationery, toys, bags, jewelry, etc. But mostly, I love the idea of purchasing fair trade items and helping people all over the world make enough money to feed their families. I love buying from a small business owned by women formerly imprisoned in the horrible underworld of sex trade, or helping a once struggling mother feed her children a steady diet of rice, plantains, and hope. I love imagining the lives, the struggles, the triumph- the stories behind the products.

I don't know who Araba is, or what her life is like. I know that she made a beautiful bag (even if my husband says it is a little hippie, even for me). I can't wait to show it off and tell people where it came from.* Naturally, I had to talk about it here first!

I also know that most women in her region make less than $2 a day. I know that most of the things we buy in our country benefit wealthy corporations and exploit those at the bottom of the production process. I know that there really is "buying power" and that even the smallest purchase on our parts can make a big difference in someone's life.

Of course, I know it is hard to put your money where your mouth (or heart, or blog) is, but I am trying. We started out with coffee- only buying Fair Trade certified, hopefully shade-grown coffee to benefit those who work to harvest it. I've already shared how I generally do not buy new clothing for my girls, in part because of the labor practices of many clothing companies. And I've known for awhile (since my last purse began unraveling) that I wanted to get one that had a story and reminded me of the big picture- afterall, I grab it and carry it with me every day. Since second-hand clothing for adults can be a little trickier, I've had a harder time with this one. But there were lots of fun clothes at the shop today. Lots. Like, if Hub's-lunch-had-been-a-little-longer-I-might-have-been-in trouble lots. So, maybe I'll take another step forward and gradually adjust my wardrobe to match my heart. Perhaps you can join me? Every little bit helps.

As a bonus, I also found two comfy bamboo t-shirts and an Under the Nile cloth diaper, all 50% off. Did I mention I LOVE this store? I did? Oh, well... I do.



*yes, I know I ended with a preposition, but it sounds so much better- or at least a little less pretentious- than "from where it came" don't you think?