Cards From Africa

Cards from Africa is a part of a new generation of African businesses setting a trend in our divided world. We make high quality products, made in one of the poorest countries, available to the international market at competitive prices. In return, we offer well-paid employment to those who need it the most. Furthermore, our business model is to provide a stepping-stone for our staff to transition easily to another career or start their own business someday. We are currently developing a program to effectively teach entrepreneurial, management, and practical business skills to our staff. By unleashing creativity, teaching valuable skills, and fostering self-worth, we are confident that someday they will be able to access the international market themselves and contribute to a thriving economy and better quality of life for all Rwandans. The beautiful handcrafted cards that you receive in the mail are born of simple office waste. At Cards from Africa, we make all of our handmade papers from discarded scraps that would otherwise be destined to burn. Not only is this environmentally friendly, it also ensures that we have a large range of base colors and textures of paper to work with. Bougainvillea petals, Umunyinya (similar to pine needles), reflective mica rock flakes, and the imprint of woven grass mats are just a few things that we incorporate into our process of making unique paper with which to make unique greeting cards.

The Little Wonder's Project

The Little Wonder's Project was started by an adoptive mom, and all of the proceeds go to humanitarian aid work in the village in Africa where her daughter was born. They are going to be starting a small scale farm and training the people of the village on how to maintain the farm; really giving them a hand up rather than a hand out and starting a sustainable project. She sells jewelry, home decor, and t-shirts, all with an Africa theme. My favourite is the t-shirt to the side; Our custom design of a child's handprint over the earth with a cutout of Africa in the center and a heart of Ethiopia features the quote: "As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person" Paul Shane Spear.

J Studio

J Studio is a non-profit studio featuring antique silver charms, necklaces, and art prints. All profits go towards supporting the Kolfe Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The necklace shown to the side is my favourite; "Forever" or a literal translation in Amharic is "For All Times", le hulu gizay. An African tree stands in the background. I created this because it reminded me of forever family. The tree represents family to me. Amharic is the national language of Ethiopia.

Sseko Designs

Sseko {say.co} Designs was created as a Not-Just-For-Profit business that will help bright young women in Uganda continue their education. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time. Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.

Sseko Designs is a for-profit enterprise that recognizes the power of business and responsible consumerism to support sustainable economic development, which in turn affects a country's educational, justice, and health care systems. The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda.

Although consumerism makes many empty promises, responsible and proactive consumerism has the ability to change lives. Like the lives of Mercy, Mary and Rebbecca.

Every sandal has a story. This story has only just begun, but with your help, it will be a story of hope, success and change.

Bows For Orphans

Heather adopted her boys from Ethiopia, and now wants to do more to help the people of their country. So, she started Bows For Orphans. She will be selling her own handmade products to raise money for orphan care in Africa. The first item being sold is pictured- a tote named for her boys' birthmother, Alem.

Haitian Creations

Heartline Haiti is a mission that runs a Sewing Program to provide women a means to support themselves. These purses have been handmade by women in the program located in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. They are made by hand of recycled fabric and burlap sugar sacks. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and poverty, famine, disease, and hurricanes have made it very difficult for the people there. This is a great opportunity to buy a cute, handmade bag that will help support a local woman living in Haiti. This is a real way to bring change to the nation of Haiti; one woman and one bag at a time. You are taking a personal interest in her and her life. It's working too. These ladies are buying their own sewing machines, paying for their children to go to school and buying stoves with money still in their business accounts.

Krochet Kids

With the help of community leaders, elders, and other local organizations, Krochet Kids look to identify some of the most vulnerable residents of the region in Uganda living in extreme poverty. Through extensive research examining personal background, income level, external support, and number of dependents, those least able to sustain themselves and their families are chosen for our program. Many of these individuals are young single mothers, young adult orphans heading one or more household(s), those formerly abducted, those affected by HIV/AIDS, or those displaced from their home. There are currently ten women who are participating and benefiting from the Krochet Program. The program is focused on skills training for reliable income, empowering education, and personal care. Those chosen for the program are trained in the skill of crochet and then provided with materials to make quality crocheted products for a good salary. The program is designed to provide a reliable salary and to empower the participants toward future independent entrepreneurship. In order to do this, there are financial education programs in place that teach skills in personal budgeting, financial saving, and small business management. Through this, each beneficiary will learn how to manage their income effectively both now and in the future. They will learn how they can invest to make a livelihood and provide for their families on their own. By employing the caregivers (heads of households), we are not only affecting them, but also their families and communities. By empowering the crocheters with both a good salary and education on how to use it, they are able to provide for their families both now and for the future. However, the creation of quality hand-made products and the work with our friends abroad is only part of what Krochet Kids International does. The sustainability and growth of our projects are obtained through the sale of our products. This gives everybody the opportunity to be a part of this movement of empowerment. Through your purchases lives will be changed. Proceeds from hat sales are infused back into the very communities from which they came in order to promote further development and aid in Northern Uganda. We seek to aid the continued efforts of education, healthcare, and clean water through the work of various local organizations.

Artists For Hope

Artists for Hope is a place for Artists to make a difference. A creative place to bring HOPE to the world. By donating the things you have created, you can bring hope to children around the globe, while also getting your name out there to show people your creative talents.

Donated artwork will be sold on the Artist's For Hope site and ALL proceeds go directly to the charity featured at the time the item is sold. Your donation could help feed a severely malnourished child in Haiti or provide life saving surgery for an orphan in rural China.

Zambian Soap

Zambian Soap is a great initiative in Zambia, Africa. On a large plot of land generously given by a local king, families harvest organically grown herbs. Workers distill the herbs to make essential oils for soap, while women widowed by the AIDS epidemic weave gift baskets and attach labels. All workers receive fair wages, and all profits go into initiatives overseen by the local Zambian churches. Buying this top-quality, all-natural soap is not only the best thing you can do for your skin, it's the best thing you can do for Africa.

Sara Bari

Sari Bari is a safe home where women, who have been exploited in the sex trade, can have their dignity restored and experience new life in the making. Each of their products made from the Indian sari are marked with a woman's name, a woman who now has the opportunity to make a choice for freedom and new life. Sari Bari, a business initiative, seeks the freedom and restoration of Kolkata’s red-light areas through dignity-giving employment opportunities for women affected by the sex trade.

PLEASE Shirts

The organization Compassion is selling these fantastic shirts to raise money for the Global Food Crisis Fund. The shirts say "please" down the side and come in 4 different languages; Amharic (pictured), Haitian Creole, Portugese, and Bengali. The Compassion store also sells a bunch of other products to raise money for the work they do worldwide.

Batsiranai

The Batsiranai Handicraft Project sells beautiful fair trade items made by women in Harare, Zimbabwe, who have children with special needs. These items include toys, dolls, bags, and artwork.

Ethiopia Guest Home

If you are travelling to Ethiopia, you should definitely check out the Ethiopia Guest Home! The idea behind it is that it is a guest home for you to stay in while you are there, and part of the money they make goes back into the country, supporting children's homes and assisting women who are HIV positive. The website says... Ethiopia Guest Home is not going to save the world, but we are going to make a difference one child at a time. We will fund programs that seek to lower the need for adoption. Ministries that seek to de-stigmatize HIV and encourage people to seek treatment will be funded. Single mothers will be assisted with tools, skills, and resources that may be needed to sustain their families. We have partnered with World Orphans, who have contracted to build 15 church-based children’s homes…to support Ethiopians caring for children who may not be adopted internationally. Programs that seek to assist women who are HIV positive to be treated and lower the risk of passing on the virus to their newborn children will be funded. At Ethiopia Guest Home…it is far more than just a place to stay.

Light Gives Heat

Light Gives Heat is a really cool program that embraces "Africans to help then rebuilt and renew Africa from the inside out." Their desire is to empower those they have grown to love and serve. Love currently has taken the shape of their Suubi (hope) initiative. LGH works with a community of Ugandan widows, wives and families to create a consistent income where there once was none. Weekly they purchase necklaces at triple their usual profit, along with providing literacy classes, English classes and more. In America, they are carving the way to create a market for the women of Suubi to sell the necklaces in the States, thus enabling them to improve their way of living and provide for their families. The necklaces in the picture are handmade by women in Uganda and made from recycled paper!

Tashanda Africa

Tashanda Africa is a wonderful organization helping to get women in Zimbabwe on their feet. Rather than giving them a hand out, they are giving them a hand up. They sell their crafts and goods online to help make them self-sustainable. My favourite item is these beautiful dolls. The African Dolls are made by the women of Batsiranai Craft Project, an IFAT (International Fair Trade Association) member and cooperative of mothers with disabled children living in Dzivarasekwa township in Zimbabwe. Each African doll has a tag with the name of the doll and dollmaker! Their faces are hand-embroidered, and dolls are dressed in traditonal African clothing, some with embroidered pockets. Each doll is one-of-a-kind; hairstyle, fabric colors and designs vary. Each doll is 6-10" tall. They are donating $2 back to the Women of Batsiranai for every doll you purchase.