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 Artisan Work
Kroma Scarves
VillageWorks
Cambodia
Another of the terrific connections that we made during our Cambodia trip last spring was with VillageWorks. These kroma scarves are traditional among Cambodia women, though often in a checked pattern. These beautiful cotton scarves feature bold blocks of color with decorative silver or gold "border" between the color blocks. Currently available in 10 color combinations. Click the picture to see them all!
VillageWorks was birthed by the Girls' Brigade Singapore to create employment for women in Cambodia. It particularly focuses on creating village-based workshops so women can work close to their homes rather than migrate to Phnom Penh.
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| Shipping Update!
Whether we are in town or out of country,
we've made arrangements to have our Fair Trade products shipped to fulfill
your orders
every business day!
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Reminder!
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| Contact Us!
We welcome your comments! | | Glenn:
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Kingdom Ventures Inc
Products with Purpose
The (ad)Venture
January 2013 |
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...and a Happy New Year!
 So goes the song. Post-holiday greetings to each of you! What a tremendous month we had this December! It was great to see so many of our "regular" Fair Trade customers in our International Marketplace and other face-to-face events, and more "frequent shoppers" online as well. We also had the privilege of meeting new people as well, both in person and online. Thank you for recognizing that YOU, the consumer, DO have purchasing power! We commend you for being intentional about your purchases. THANK YOU for choosing to Make a Difference in the lives of others ~ for joining with us to provide hope, restoration, and opportunity to those who were once being exploited and impoverished.
You may be receiving this Kingdom Ventures newsletter for the first time - probably because you signed up when you visited our International Marketplace this past month. We hope you find it to be informative and inspirational - and that you'll join us on the (ad)Venture! |
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Quote of the month
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
~ Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) ~American writer, lecturer, and developer of public speaking courses
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Photo of the Month!
We have another winner!
This month's picture was uploaded from Mexico City. When we were at Love Joy Church in November, three people separately bought Dudie shoulder pouches to use as "go bags" for their mission trip to Mexico in December.
So congratulations Melissa W (she's on the right)! You've won 20 KVI-bucks! We'll send you an email with instructions on how you can redeem your prize!
If you WOULD like to win 20 KVI-bucks, you can send your photo submission(s) with your comments as to WHY you love your particular KVI product to us at info@kingdom-ventures.com. This month's submissions are due by Jan 31st. Happy picture-taking!
If you're our monthly winner, you can use your KVI Bucks on our site or at any of our events. |
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Anti-Trafficking Month in U.S.
On December 31th, President Obama issued a proclamation declaring January 2013 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The proclamation reads, in part,
"This month, we rededicate ourselves to stopping one of the greatest human rights abuses of our time. Around the world, millions of men, women, and children are bought, sold, beaten, and abused, locked in compelled service and hidden in darkness. They toil in factories and fields; in brothels and sweatshops; at sea, abroad, and at home. They are the victims of human trafficking -- a crime that amounts to modern-day slavery."
"As Americans, we have long rejected such cruelty. We have recognized it as a debasement of our common humanity and an affront to the principles we cherish. And for more than a century, we have made it a national mission to bring slavery and human trafficking to an end."
(Click here to read President Obama's entire proclamation.) |
Human Trafficking
~ Definition & Its Impact ~
From: The Polaris Project
 What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. As defined under U.S. federal law, victims of human trafficking include children involved in the sex trade, adults age 18 or over who are coerced or deceived into commercial sex acts, and anyone forced into different forms of "labor or services," such as domestic workers held in a home, or farm-workers forced to labor against their will. The factors that each of these situations have in common are elements of force, fraud, or coercion that are used to control people. Then, that control is tied to inducing someone into commercial sex acts, or labor or services. Numerous people in the field have summed up the concept of human trafficking as "compelled service." Every year, human traffickers generate billions of dollars in profits by victimizing millions of people around the world, and here in the United States. Human trafficking is considered to be one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world.
Read more: Overview
What are some signs of a trafficking victim?
The Individual(s) in Question .
- Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes
- Is under 18 and is providing commercial sex acts
- Is in the commercial sex industry and has a pimp / manager
- Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips
- Works excessively long and/or unusual hours
- Is not allowed breaks or suffers under unusual restrictions at work
- Owes a large debt and is unable to pay it off
- Was recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of his/her work
- High security measures exist in the work and/or living locations (e.g. opaque windows, boarded up windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.)
Read more: Recognizing the Signs |
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Human Trafficking
~ Becoming Informed ~
Here are a few "tools for your toolbox" to keep you informed about the issue of human trafficking not only in the US but throughout the world.
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The Last Word... Greetings!
Welcome to 2013!
There's a lot of "meat" in this newsletter on the rather "heavy" topic of Human Trafficking. That's partly because this is National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Month, but largely because it's a topic that is close to OUR hearts. As most of you are aware, our largest supplier is STOPstart of Cambodia, which seeks to create employment opportunities for survivors of trafficking. However as we've grown in this business and in our understanding of the "roots" of trafficking, we've come to realize that severely impoverished people always stand at the edge of the "cliff" where the slightest push or mis-step could result in someone in their family becoming the next trafficking victim.
That is why we are passionate about creating economic opportunities for our artisans and why we rejoice when YOU join with us and other Fair Trade retailers. Together, we DO make a difference!
Rebecca & Glenn Fadner
"Making a Difference!"
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