This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own
I remember when I FINALLY went into labor with my first child, I was on the way to the hospital and I had a really strong contraction and a moment of panic. I remember saying, “I don’t think I can do this” and my mom, in her typical way said, “Don’t start that stuff already.” While I resented her lack of support it also pulled me up short and I knew I would have to find a way to get through what was coming on my own.
Immediately an image came to my mind that I will never forget. In my image there was a long, long line of women from modern day to prehistoric times – all dressed as they would have been, all pregnant or holding infants. I knew they were my sisters and that this was something women have gone through for thousands of years and that I wasn’t alone. If they could do it, I could too.
That was the first time I had what I call a “sisterhood” moment. The last one was last year when I was going through treatment for breast cancer. Again, my sisters came to me in an image – this time we were around a fire and they surrounded me with love – and I knew I had their love and support. It wasn’t just the image but a physical feeling of being immensely loved. It got me through the super tough days.
Having said all of that, I can’t imagine having my country torn apart by war and all of the horror that involves. That is why Macy’s campaigns to aid women in Rwanda (as well as my post Heart of Haiti at Macy’s) speak to me so strongly.
These women that I’ve never met are my sisters and that is why I support the programs at Macy’s.
Maybe they see images of women like me reaching out to help them?
The collection of artisan raffia and sweetgrass baskets are made by Rwandan women using a traditional technique passed down through generations. They are strikingly beautiful and divinely scented, but their biggest impact is pulling women out of poverty and bringing peace.When you look at the gorgeous hand-woven baskets sold online and in Macy’s stores as part of the Rwanda Path to Peace program, it’s easy to see them solely as objects of beauty and it’s hard to imagine the journey the baskets and the women who make them have been on.
Macy’s has carried the Rwandan Path to Peace baskets in store and at Macys.com for 10 years – the red and white baskets are created specially for the 10th anniversary. It’s an amazing commitment for an American retailer to make to women in another country. 1994 saw a genocidal mass slaughter in this tiny little nation, no bigger than Rhode Island. In three short months, nearly 1 million Rwandans were brutally murdered in a fury of ethic violence that is hard to even fathom. After the massacre, a few women came together and did what women in Rwanda do. They talked, they cried and they wove baskets. These were women of both sides of the ethnic divide, practicing the skills of weaving they all learn from their mothers and grandmothers. When Macy’s began carrying the baskets in 1995, it was the first example of a major American retailer committing to a Trade-not-Aid product line in a substantial way. Macy’s has kept that commitment alive, despite the fact that Rwanda has largely disappeared from the news.
Here’s a video, which features the story of the history of the Rwanda program.
Rwanda Path to Peace is now the longest-lasting program of its kind, impacting thousands of women throughout Rwanda, their families and communities. With their earnings, women can now send their children to school. They can buy everything from soap to land, malaria nets to health insurance. The income they earn from their handiwork has helped rebuild their communities. One of the first things a weaver does when she sells her first basket is buy soap. The next thing she does is buy shoes and pay school fees. Many weavers today have seen huge improvements in their lives.
What can you do?
Buy a basket to hold holiday ornaments or cards, buy one as a gift for a socially conscious friend or buy one to hang as artwork on your wall.
The Rwanda baskets are normally priced from $30.00 and up but are on sale right now here. Even if you buy the basket on sale or use a coupon the weaver still earns the same amount.
