KHOU & CultureMap
Shop smart and do good on World Fair Trade Day with unique international and Made-in-Houston items
In this week's KHOU CultureMap Moment, KHOU morning news anchor Lily Jang and CultureMap contributor Joel Luks salute World Fair Trade Day with a visit to Ten Thousand Villages, a Rice Village store that showcases crafts made by artisans from developing countries around the world. The proceeds from sales are returned to the craftspeople so they can earn a decent living in their home country.
There are a wide array of items with special meaning, like necklaces made from bullet casings in the civil war in Ethiopia. "We're talking about items that have been taken from a violent environment and made into something beautiful," Luks says.
World Fair Trade Day's bigger vision is to help end poverty, human trafficking and forced child labor and help empower women around the world. '"We want people to come out and have fun and learn that you can make a difference, whether you're 5 or 50," says Kendra Penry, who launched a campaign for Houston to be a Fair Trade certified city.
Activities at the store from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday (May 9) include giveaways and door prizes for participants, as well as opportunities to hear from such local groups as Community Cloth that make beautiful crafts and to learn more about the artists who help raise awareness for dignified employment.
See this week's KHOU CultureMap Moment:
