New Fair Trade LA bags made by rHope

We here at rHope are so happy to have worked with Fair Trade LA to create customized, stylish  jute bags for them. Partnering with Fair Trade LA was synergistic since we are both about empowering artisans and consumers to purchase products made using fair trade practices.

These bags are double sided.  One side has the Fair Trade LA logo and the back has the message “Choose Fair Trade LA Join the Movement”.  The bags are eco-friendly, vegan and sustainable. The bags are made from an organic fiber that is natural and biodegradable.

You can pick up one of these snazzy functional bags at the Fair Trade LA Booth at the Green Festival at the Convention Center Sept 12-14, 2014.

Here you can see the women from our partner organization Chhoti Si Asha making the bags. They had a great time and were happy to earn money to support their families. The  women we work with are impoverished and live in slums in India. Most are uneducated and have less access to paid opportunities. Orders and purchases like these, help the women and their families raise their standard of living in a holistic way through skill training, income generation, financial management, access to health care, and education for them and their families.

Thanks to Fair Trade LA for this order. We hope all of us together, can empower women, enrich the lives of those struggling in poverty and offer hope.  We look forward to seeing you this weekend at the Fair Trade LA booth at the Green Festival!

rHope at Veteran Feminists of America Conference

rHope attended the Veteran Feminists of America’s Women and Media Conference thanks to Zoe Nicholson. It was a celebration of second wave feminists who dealt with issues related to sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive rights  and inequality.  Every woman had an incredible story to share. The event focused on Women & Media, with panels such as “Women’s Voices on the Radio” with radio journalists Sonali Kolhatkar, Frieda Werden Maya Jupiter, and Marlene Montanez moderated by Lynn H. Ballen. Research and statistics on the state of women in media were shared. As a result of a severe lack of representation for stories of non stereotypical women in movies or women’s perspectives, media perpetuates gender inequality. Check out this short film by Feminist Frequency on the subject. Additionally, we were treated to an inspiring screening of Jennifer Lee’s “Feminist Stories from Women’s Liberation,” a documentary about the women’s liberation movement in the United States from 1963 to 1970. With each panel and story, we thought about the women that rHope supports with our partner Chhoti Si Asha. These women were born to poverty by no fault of their own. We are glad to stand with them and sell their handmade products. When women are economically and socially empowered, they become a potent force for change. Men and boys are taking a more active role in housework as the women are earning a much needed income, and finding a stronger voice. These women are confident, talented and creative. They are rising up against the norms of what is expected of them and are changing the future for the better just as the wonderful Veteran Feminists of America and others have done in the past and continue to do today.  We are indebted to the struggles of women the world over for basic rights and are honored to play our part in it. Thank you for your support! [nggallery id=9]