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Friday, December 02, 2005Opening its doors to the world both theoretically and literally in 1946 Ten Thousand Villages in conjunction with the Mennonite Central committee who operate in churches across North America in Canada and the United States. Mennonite Central committee provides aid, encouragement and incentive for people in desperate seek of need and attention across the globe. They ship in foreign aid supplies, food and medical equipment to countries following or during war time, civil unrest or natural disasters that devastate the people. They work with and provide direct services including canned meat and medical kits. In addition MCC provides a wide variety of kits that contain valuable products to help support the citizens and provide for those in need. School, health, sewing and newborn kits are flown around the world to children and adults who literally have nothing but their bodies. Mennonite Central committee provides the backbone of support for Ten Thousand Villages.  Ten Thousand Villages has a network of hundreds upon hundreds of stores across Canada and the USA that provides a safe and supportive haven for young and old artist alike paying them deservingly for their fine work. Unlike mega conglomerates in the western world who most often pay meager money to those who toil together their products, Ten Thousand Villages happily gives full price that allows the artisans to live on a bed of money that they can actually use and enjoy their life with. Not simply the measly amount that corporations knowingly hand out to people in developing and desolate nations that have more than enough trouble striking up business let alone being handed pay cheeses that pay next to nothing at all. Government organizations based in Canada and the U.S. ensure that the products hand crafted are of high caliber in a safe promoting working environment. Under that the monitoring bodies ensure they maintain peaceful and promotional relations with each country, each individual and each village. They strongly are against all forms of abuse, work exploitation and work abuse.  Instead of simply sending masses of materials Ten Thousand Villages promotes sustainable aid, by giving and continuing to give over the long term for many years. As the businesses and production gets all arranged, the relationship between the offices in North America strengthens not dwindles as the majority of foreign aid programs do. In addition there is a relationship between the consumer and the producer. The consumer learns about the man, woman or children who crafted their purchase and they learn all about their way of life and how Ten Thousand Villages is positively contributing to their life. The organization is one of many branches that's part of the global tree that operates across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America International Fair Trade Association . IFAT runs over 270 Fair Trade Organizations across the planet in over 270 countries worldwide. Each of these individual programs fostering a friendly web of support in the world. One that looks beyond boundaries both physical and poverty and realizes the true spirit in all these special people. Canadians and Americans can participate in exchanges with countries involved in Ten Thousand Villages and their parent companies. Check their websites for more details or arrange your own work abroad program with another company and see how shopping at this creative and crafty store truly is making a difference and not just dropping more millions into a Shanghai businessmen pocket who runs a Chinese sweat shop dropping a couple pennies a day into his underage and underfed employee's pockets. Teague Neal blogged on 1:34 AM
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Teague Neal |