Our Suppliers
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Be sure to check out products from each of our countries. Click the flags below for links to the products!!
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They're HERE!
Pine Needle Baskets
from Nicaragua
They have arrived and are more inviting than we recalled! We debuted the baskets at our Ithaca and Honeoye Falls shows and they were well received! We found them to be true "conversation-starters"! Click here to view them in our webstore. Plan to visit us at our upcoming shows in Geneseo & Oatka to actually experience them!
Those of you who shopped at our store in Rochester last Christmas season may recall these baskets. They are hand-crafted by a group of artisans in El Sauce, Nicaragua called Fuente de Pino. This craft group was an outgrowth of an economic development project begun by students and faculty from SUNY Geneseo. We connected with them last summer and did a successful trial-run of the baskets for the holidays.
We were very pleased with both the program AND the quality of the baskets, so we have decided to add Fuente de Pino as one of our regular suppliers.
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Something old...
Something new...
No wedding bells or anything like that! But our "old" newsletters are now available in our "new" archive!
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So if you'd like to browse some of our history or find an article that you thought you remembered, they're always available to you! On the website, use the "News/Events" link or you can get there by clicking this link:
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Reminder!
Domestic shipping is now FREE on orders of $40 or more. This discount is applied AUTOMATICALLY to all orders - no coupon code to enter! | |
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| Contact Us!
We welcome your comments! | | Glenn:
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The (ad)Venture
July 2010
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Greetings!
Rebecca & Glenn Fadner |
July ushers in a freshness all its own! Independence Day truly kicks off this terrific season! School is out, the gardens are in full bloom, and we are drinking in that much-needed sunshine!
Those pine needle baskets DID arrive from Nicaragua! Their vibrant colors add to the festive mood of summer! Visit our webstore or join us at our outdoor shows for your "basket experience"!
Our final collection of back stories about our Honduran artisans are this month's "read." Pour a glass of iced tea or lemonade and let us introduce you to the four women who compose the sewing group at Made in Honduras cooperative.
During the month of July you will discover us in our KVI booth at the Geneseo Rotary Summer Festival and the Oatka Festival (details below under " KVI On the Move"). If you're in the Rochester area this summer, we would love to personally connect with you!
Enjoy the summer, make oodles of delightful memories, and of course join us in "Making a Difference" in the lives of others!
Rebecca & Glenn
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Quote of the month
In this new century, many of the world's poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved and in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.
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Fair Trade 101
Class 6
Fair Trade means a safe and healthy working environment for producers - its employees and members. Working hours and conditions for employees comply, at a minimum, with national and local laws and ILO conventions on health and safety.
The participation of children (if any) does not adversely affect their well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play and conforms to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the law and norms in the local context. |
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Honduran Reflections
Part 4
Silvia, Amparo, Nicolasa, and Lucia |
This month's segment about the Made in Honduras cooperative is about the co-op's sewing group. During our February visit we had the opportunity to travel to their workshop in Guadalupe Carney to spend the day with Lucia, Silvia, Nicolasa, and Amparo.  Our visit was filled with meeting the women ~ getting to know each of them and having us introduce ourselves (and our family through photos!). There was opportunity to learn about their sewing and grow in appreciation of their excellent work, particularly since it is all done on treadle sewing machines!
 We collectively brain-stormed ideas on how to make their bags "distinctively Honduran". We thought that the name label inside each bag identifying the seamstress was a great touch. We were also able to share about the sewing techniques that STOPstart of Cambodia uses when constructing their recycled bags. We gave the one of our bags to "prime the pump" for new product ideas.
And, of course, there was food! A delicious meal (including fresh fish!) lovingly prepared by them in honor of us and our visit to their workshop as their guests.
Let us share vignettes about the sewing group's current members: Lucia, Silvia, Nicolasa and Amparo .
 Lucia (born in 1973) is the youngest member of the sewing group. Being one of many daughters from a very poor family which was often without a consistent father-figure, Lucia experienced an endless cycle of physical abuse throughout her childhood. By age 14, Lucia had run away with Egiberto, gotten married and built a tiny house on his parents' finca (farm). Lucia has become an excellent seamstress because she is particular about her work. She encourages her children in their studies and desires them to seek a profession. Lucia and Egiberto have recently become grandparents!
_________________________________________________ Silvia (born in 1969) was one of many children in her family. For seven years of her childhood, Silvia lived with her Abuela (grandmother) to assist with the cleaning and washing. Abuela sent Silvia to school, purchased clothing for her, provided her with good food and much love. When Silvia was 12, her father requested she come back to live with the family. There her mother taught her to cook and she joined her father cutting coffee in the finca.
Although many boys paid attention to her, at age 15 Raul won Silvia's heart. They built a small house on the land of Raul's parents and raised their 6 children. Silvia loves to sew and enjoys being a grandmother! _________________________________________________  Nicolasa (born in 1966) was one of 4 living children who mastered the task of hard work as a young child. Each day she walked four miles each way to deliver food to her father who worked on a coffee finca. The remainder of her day was spent walking miles, carrying water for the household use. When Nicolasa was 8 her father deserted the family, leaving them destitute. None of the children attended school. The stress of poverty caused an escalation of physical abuse within the home. However, father would return to the family for brief periods of time, but without bringing any stability. By age 12 Nicolasa welcomed a job of cooking food for the workers of a coffee finca, even though it meant starting work at 3am!
At age 18 Nicolasa married Ezekiel, a soldier who periodically visited their village. They built a tiny house on a small plot of land from her father. Ezekiel and Nicolasa had 7 living children. Over time the crops from the coffee finca did not do well, forcing the extended family to move to the mountains. Tensions increased as did the physical abuse at home.
After the family moved to the village of Guadalupe Carney, Nicolasa took sewing classes and eventually constructed bags for selling in the co-op. Ezekiel obtained a cow and learned how to care for it. Unfortunately he had to sell the cow to pay for children's schooling. Ezekiel was employed as one of the workers who constructed the building for the co-op. He became a good farmer, raising fruit trees and pineapples. He is successfully at both worm composting and gardening. As Ezekiel found purpose and success, there became a greater sense of peace within their home. Recently Ezekiel and Nicolasa have become grandparents._________________________________________________ Amparo (born in 1964) was one of 11 children whose family lived in a one-room house. Her childhood role was to carry water three times each day for the household. Her father had many small jobs and, being the consummate businessman, he taught Amparo about business. She and her siblings were sent to school through grade 4 (which is the highest level available at the school). At age 15, her entire family relocated to her sister's coffee finca where Amparo worked cooking for both the extended family and all of the finca workers. By age 16 Amparo and 22 year old Medardo were married. Medardo worked cutting trees and later as a carpenter. Over the years they had 14 children.
Amparo desires each of her children to find jobs and to be hard workers in order to be successful. Amparo and Medardo are also grandparents. |
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