When I was a child, my family had a few Christmas ornaments on our tree from an aunt and uncle in Hawaii. Made of husks and wood instead of glass and bows, they captured my attention and I spent time wondering who would make such unusual things. Flash forward 25 years when I was introduced to an organization called Ornaments 4 Orphans at a blogger's conference last month in Greenville, SC. With similar distinction, these handmade pieces have a story, but unlike the ornaments on my childhood Christmas tree, these stories can be traced all the way back to the artisans who make them.
Ornaments for Orphans (O4O) sells fair trade, handcrafted items made in impoverished communities in Uganda to benefit orphans and at-risk children in the same country. The benefits of buying an ornament or other handmade piece from this company are three-fold:
1. You help the artisan who makes the ornament.
2. You help the child who receives the proceeds from the ornament.
3. You benefit the community of both artisan and child as more people are released from the heavy hand of poverty and hopelessness.
You can find out more about O4O and shop their items here or follow them on Twitter @o4orphans.
I got the MOST beautiful African dolls for my girls for Christmas, each dressed in authentic Ugandan fabric carrying a baby in a sling on the doll's back. Also, the Nativity scenes on the website are so, so beautiful!
As you put up your trees this holiday season, I encourage you to buy an ornament from O4O and hang it on your branches. If your children are anything like the kid version of me, they will notice that it looks different from other bright balls, delicate ornaments, and twinkling lights, and you may have an opportunity to share with them a bit about where it came from and who it benefits. And if that spans the reach of hope just one home further, then everyone receives the blessing this Christmas.
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