City Church-Eastside Holds Third Annual “Beyond Fair Trade” Sale

By Steph Shackelford
City Church-Eastside will hold the third annual event and sale Beyond Fair Trade on November 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Stove Works facility, 112 Krog Street. This annual sale benefits marginalized men, women, and children around the globe in places such as Rwanda, Kenya, India, and Haiti. This year the local event and sale will feature the hand-made goods of several non-profit faith-based organizations, such as Amani Ya Juu, 3 Seams, the ApParent Project, Rahab’s Rope, Rubblewear, Pick a Pocket, and Haitian Creations.
The sale will feature children’s clothing, gifts for kids, accessories, home accents, and beautiful jewelry. Last year sales totaled almost $10,000, with all proceeds going back to each organization to support their missions of empowering third-world communities through fair-trade programs. The sale goes “Beyond Fair Trade” by turning capitalism on its head. “When an item is purchased at the sale you are directly supporting marginalized people that can use these funds to support themselves and improve their own way of life. It’s a small way you can help make a big impact in a world full of need,” explains Amanda Buck, Director of Beyond Fair Trade.
Several of the featured organizations, including Amani Ya Juu, the ApParent Project, Rahab’s Rope, and Haitian Creations, are committed to teaching marginalized individuals marketable skills, such as sewing and jewelry making. All of these organizations attempt to bring dignity to the whole person by building emotionally and spiritually enriching relationships and providing not only educational training but also spiritual, emotional, and physical support.
         Haitian Creations provides artisan opportunities by building empowering relationships with the women in their purse- and jewelry-making programs. The ApParent Project also ministers to Haiti and focuses on the prevention of child abandonment by creating opportunities for impoverished parents to earn an income through their artisan program. The ApParent Project also addresses joblessness, homelessness, and educational, nutritional, and medical needs.
         Rahab’s Rope provides education and vocational training for girls and women who are at risk or have been forced into the commercial sex trade of India. In addition to educational training, the organization provides food, shelter, and protection for holistic healing from the horrors of Human Trafficking by restoring purpose to their lives.
Purchasing gifts at Beyond Fair Trade continues the cycle of providing fair wages for the individuals who made the products. Supporting the organizations involved in Beyond Fair Trade provides a new way of life and a new hope for the men, women, and children who daily face the realities of the developing world, many of whom are widowed or orphaned, having fled genocide, starvation and poverty.