Shopping Locally to Help Women Globally for International Women’s Day
AKRON, Pa. — Every year on March 8, millions gather in rallies and parades around the world to honor the achievements of women on International Women’s Day, an occasion relatively unknown in the United States. Fair trade retailer Ten Thousand Villages will join forces with a national domestic violence prevention organization to celebrate the event in March.
In partnership with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), Ten Thousand Villages will host community shopping fundraisers throughout its network of 80 nationwide stores and on its Web site, tenthousandvillages.com. When customers shop one of the Ten Thousand Villages stores on the community shopping benefit night scheduled to benefit their local domestic violence prevention agency or shelter, 10 percent of all sales will be donated to the organization.
Additionally, as always, sales will also benefit the disadvantaged female artisans in Africa, Asia and Latin America represented throughout the fair trade retailer’s extensive product line of handmade jewelry, home decor and personal accessories.
“International Women’s Day, which is celebrated by our artisan partners around the world, honors the resilient spirit of women worldwide,” said Lisa Stratton, Marketing Director. “We want to empower all women to build a more peaceful global community.”
The promotion will also take place online on March 8, International Women’s Day. Ten percent of all online sales will be donated to the NCADV when customers shop at www.tenthousandvillages.com.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women estimates that one in three women around the world will be abused in her lifetime. Many artisan partners working with Ten Thousand Villages provide employment to disadvantaged women, such as Manushi, an artisan group in Nepal. Manushi seeks to empower their artisans-some of whom are living in abusive situations-by providing them with skills training and loans.
Founded in 1946, Ten Thousand Villages is one of the most established fair trade organizations in the world. Ten Thousand Villages strives to improve the livelihood of more than 60,000 disadvantaged artisans, the majority of whom are women, by selling handmade gifts, decor and accessories that represents the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Product sales help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed.
NCADV builds local and national coalitions for community-based, non-violent strategies to eradicate social conditions that contribute to violence against women and children.
For more information about the International Women’s Day fundraisers, contact your local Ten Thousand Villages store or visit tenthousandvillages.com to shop or to locate the store nearest you.
International Women’s Day, which has been observed since in the early 1900s, is a major day of celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women around the world. Thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. While there are many large-scale initiatives, a diverse array of local activity connects women from around the world, ranging from political rallies to theatrical performances, parades and more.
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