November | Fair Trade Friday | 2022

Joy+Cheer The Season of

2022 VISION OF FAIR TRADE FRIDAY

As we move into the end of 2022, our intent is to continue enriching your home by featuring high-quality, fair trade items for different rooms throughout your house. Your Fair Trade Friday box will include thematic unity, scripture, and intentional living inspiration with an overall goal of building deeper handmade collections within your home.

THE SEASON OF JOY

“Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.” Luke 2:10

The Christmas story resonates joy. John the Baptist jumped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb; wise men filled with great joy worshipped; shepherds followed the bright star with excitement; angels showed up. The foundation of our holiday season is joy.

Joy is the emotion of great delight caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.

But joy didn’t erase the reality of the uncertainty of Mary and Joseph, the evil pursuit of the baby born as a king, or the darkness of night. These realities existed in tandem with the certain joy that a Savior would change everything.

Being joyful this holiday season doesn’t diminish our pain or problems, but it does remind us how a baby born to rescue the world can bring us something exceptionally good.

We decorate the mantel with garland to celebrate. We hang ornaments on the tree to remind us of the tree Jesus hung on. We light a candle to signify the Light of the World who came to brighten the darkest nights.

It bring us joy that your Fair Trade Friday box this month is doing some good in this world. It is our prayer that it will spark a bit of cheer this season because, “Nothing else in all life is such a maker of joy and cheer as the privilege of doing good,” JR Miller.

The season of

Saree Bead Garland

MADE BY ASHA PROJECT

These beautiful garlands are handstitched, bead by bead, from recycled saree scraps. They are a fun way to add color and purpose to your decorations! The beads on your garland passed through the hands of 12 talented artisans of Asha Project in India. Spot clean only.

Sagorika

Before coming to Asha Project, Sagorika didn't have a community to be a part of. She is the daughterin-law in a large extended family that all lives together. She often got lonely in her day-to-day life helping take care of her family. Sagorika says she never imagined that she could learn how to make things with her hands like she does now, but she is glad that she learned. Her favorite part of Asha Project is the community that she has found that encourages her, teaches her, and makes her feel a part of something bigger than herself.

Asha Project

Asha Project is a not-for-profit organization with a passion for teaching women that they are worth more than they may have been brought up to believe, that they have skills and abilities despite what their community and culture may tell them, and that they have a purpose that only they can fulfill. Through all of that, Asha Project’s desire is that these women would find HOPE. Hope for change. Hope for a better future. And hope for something new.

Currently Asha Project works with more than 100 women. After a season of training, the women meet every week in small groups in their own communities to continue learning and to turn in the beautiful products they have made that week. Asha Project has seen that despite the difficult and often horrifying realities they live in, a tiny piece of hope can change everything. As the artisans meet in small groups, build community with other women, begin to carry each other's burdens, they begin to learn that they do have worth and purpose, and skills. And a small flame of hope sparks. They start believing that they might be

good at something. They start believing that they might be worth more than they have been told. That is what Asha Project is all about. Hope changes everything!

This order of Saree Bead Garland generated 6800 hours of work as it went through the hands of 45 women from eight communities.

Fair Trade Friday members can use the code #FairTradeFriday to get 10% OFF at ashaproject.myshopify.com.

Christmas cheer Candle

MADE BY LOCAL HOPE IN THE USA

Light this candle for a cozy night in front of your Christmas hearth. The holiday scent combines orange and spices from the kitchen, fir and pine notes from fresh Christmas trees, and an earthy smokiness from the fireplace. This one is sure to be a favorite!

Mercy House Global is located just outside Houston, Texas, a city of more than 70,000 refugees, one of the largest populations in the USA. MHG employs about ten women who have resettled in Houston. This group of artisans called Local Hope create candles, spa products, and home decor for the

In addition to job creation, MHG provides programs to support the local refugee community, including ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) and empowerment luncheons that offer

Diaa

Diaa is a talented candlemaker at Mercy House Global. She and her family came to live in Houston, Texas, after fleeing from danger in Syria. Diaa is incredibly kind and enjoys working. She says that she is thankful for the opportunity to earn money and help her family with their financial needs.

Joy pennant ornament

MADE BY STREET HOPE

IN KENYA

Let this ornament shout your JOY this holiday season! The small leather pennant was hand-stitched by the Kenyan women of Street Hope in Mathare slum. They loved working with such fun material and stitching this meaningful word.

Street Hope

Street Hope is comprised of sixteen precious women in Mathare slum who had lived their whole lives on the street. Many were orphaned as children and have only known life on the street, others were homeless due to difficult circumstances, and all were doing whatever necessary to survive and provide for their children. Mercy House Global started simply by teaching them how to do a basic sewing hand-stitch. It is miraculous to see the women—one by one and by His grace—growing in their skills, becoming confident, providing food and schooling for their children, learning how to read, overcoming addiction, and moving into their own homes.

JaneJane had been homeless for as long as she can remember. All her kids were born while living in the streets. Because of drug abuse, Jane contracted a terminal illness and has been in and out of health centers to manage it.

Jane explained, “I couldn’t afford to buy medicine to manage my situation, and my kids were used to sleeping hungry on the streets. They could not go to school because I always had no money for school fees.”

Ever since she joined Street Hope, Jane’s life has turned around. Jane shared, “A job at Street Hope has rekindled my life and that of my children. We have a shelter above our heads and enough food to eat. Additionally, all my four kids are enrolled in schools and are pursuing an education. I can also manage to get my meds, and my condition is well managed. I am so happy that I can now eat any kind of food I want. Every skill I am taught is difficult at the beginning, but as I do it many times, it becomes easy and enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed sewing the JOY triangular-shaped leather ornaments.”

fair trade subscriptio FAIR TRADE FRIDAY

WHAT IS FAIR TRADE?

Fairly-traded products are made by artisans who work in safe conditions, are paid a fair wage, and work fair hours. No child gave up his education to produce your new favorite item; no mom was laboring in a sweatshop for 80 hours a week. We ensure that all of our Fair Trade Friday club items are fairly traded.

HOW IS FTF DIFFERENT THAN OTHER SUBSCRIPTION CLUBS?

We are not a for–profit company, or even a profit-for-good company — Fair Trade Friday is operated by Mercy House Global, a nonprofit. All profits from FTF directly support our maternal rescue center, Rehema House, in Kenya. You can learn more at mercyhouseglobal.org.

FTF PARTNERS WITH FAITH-BASED ARTISAN GROUPS ACROSS THE GLOBE. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

While we are a faith-based ministry and partner with other faith-based ministries, religion is not forced upon artisans, nor is it a requirement for employment. Many women & their families have different religions than us, and that is okay. Our belief in Christ calls us to love, serve, and help others, regardless of their personal belief systems.