December 26, 2008

Santa Claus Arrives at Lake Titicaca

Dear Friends:

Aligned with our mission and to reflect the spirit of giving during the holiday season, One World Projects and Charity USA teamed up again this year to support the Believe and Dream Foundation in Bolivia with generous donations. The Foundation was started by one of our in-country coordinators, Mariel Mercado Ramos, and hosts a variety of charitable projects including donating school supplies to children who live in prison with their incarcerated parents, a project to transform discarded plastic bottles into economic opportunities for disadvantaged artisans, and an ambitious undertaking to save the llama industry in Bolivia by providing training an market opportunities for llama ranchers.

December 15, 2008

One World Projects on the Today Show

One World Projects pottery Ayacucho Peruvian piggy banks were mentioned on the Today Show on Monday, December 15th. The pottery piggy banks are baked in wood or gas-fired ovens to cure and are painted by hand. There are different styles and choose from and make a great holiday gift.

December 5, 2008

Update on work in Afghanistan

It's been almost a year since we've added an update on our work in Afghanistan. This post is not the easiest to share-yet needs to be shared. A few weeks ago we received some very sad news. The DHL manager we were working with on handling artisan exports was shot and killed along with the other foreigner working at DHL by one of the guards, after he killed them, he killed himself. The weekend before, a South African/British woman was killed while walking on the street in Kabul.The reality of the danger in Afghanistan for the workers who just want to help others or who are striving to improve their lives hit hard. It also made it even more important for us to share the Afghan artisan beautifully hand-made items including jewelry, rugs, shawls and rugs. We will continue our efforts in Afghanistan and keep you updated. Please pray for all those in Afghanistan who are working so hard to improve their lives.