This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
As an art teacher I am always enamored of the craft of different cultures. I love handmade, artisan goods especially those that will help support a cause or culture. I was recently sent a beautiful, intricate hand woven basket from Macy’s Rwanda Path to Peace initiative.
Basket weaving is an extraordinarily intricate process that has been practiced for centuries in Rwanda. Each design is unique and painstakingly crafted from sisal and grass by women who learned to weave from their aunts, mothers and grandmothers. Look at the long process of making the baskets here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkSFtUWuswU
As many of you are aware in 1994, our nation was completely unaware of mass slaughter that was taking place in Rwanda, a tiny country in the heart of Africa. In a short time, nearly a million people, 20% of the nation’s population, was massacred when tribal hatred between the Hutus and Tutsis turned into ethnic slaughter. This was one of the worst genocides in human history.
I am so impressed with the Macy’s initiative to offer the partnership between Macy’s and the artisans that has helped the women move from deprivation and uncertainty to a life where they can plan their future. Did you know these women are paid ten times the average Rwandan wage, so that they have the ability to build a stable, healthy life by creating the traditional art that was handed down by their mothers and grandmothers. The weavers say that they have experienced the worst possible pain, through war, and want to send their message of peace, through their baskets to the world. Macy’s has given them a pathway to do this. Unbelievable. The baskets are beautiful in there own right and I am so proud to have one in our den. We get so many comments on our bowl and where they can purchase one for themselves.
I find it amazing that Macy’s customers have been buying the Rwandan weavers’ baskets for ten years. The open hearts of Macy’s customers have directly supported peace and prosperity in Rwanda. With the upcoming holiday season, these are the best gifts to give, as they are the gifts that keep on giving.
As a mother, I feel responsible for being able to help another mother in need. I can not even imagine the pain and suffering that these women and families have faced but now thousands of children who were malnourished and sick a decade ago have had ten years of food, education and medicine, thanks to this program, and are now thriving young adults. Kudos to Macy’s.
Now to further their efforts, Macy’s is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Rwanda Path to Peace program with a commemorative basket, woven to represent 10 years of peace and prosperity. Do your part by supporting this effort; your purchase will affect lives of those more misfortunate than you.