Hands Up Not Handouts

As I was working at my desk yesterday, I had the television on the Martha Stewart show where I heard about this neat initiative, Hands Up Not Handouts, where they mentor Palestine and Rwandan women in design, production and marketing of unique, one-of-a-kind jewelery.  They take their traditional skills, like hand-embroidery from Palestine and basket-weaving in Rwanda, and help them revise their product from table clothes and basket to neat bracelets and earrings.  I love this mico-finance type initiative where they empower these women- it's not just a hand out.  The proceeds are reinvested into the business, the women and their communities to make the process sustainable.

I just ordered these super cute earrings that were made by the women in Rwanda!  Don't you want some, too?  Check it out: http://handsupnothandouts.org/