Global Gifts Come from Fair Trade

Arrayed on the tables in the atrium of the Christian Reformed Church office in Grand Rapids, Mich., were a range of fair-trade items handcrafted by artisans from around the world.

One of the most popular items was a children’s book whose pages are made from elephant dung coming from Sri Lanka. The story within the book explains how elephants are an endangered species and how creating this book from their droppings helps pay for efforts to save them.

Also on the tables were scarves made in India from discarded saris, jewelry from Ecuador created from palm nuts, a carved cross and nativity scene from Guatemala, handwoven baskets from Ghana, hand drums from Kenya, fair-trade coffee, and espresso-bean chocolate — and it all came from Global Gifts, a fair trade and specialty items store located in Grands Rapids.

“We represent artisans from more than 35 countries,” said Pat Guikema, one of the volunteers on hand at the CRC office to sell items as gifts for the Christmas season.

“We buy from different companies that pay the artisans a fair wage up front that they can use to support their families.”

Global Gifts was begun in 1986 by three women from Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids who wanted to do something to help alleviate world hunger.

As members of the Social Action Committee of their church, they suggested starting a store to sell products made by international artisans.

When the store first opened, there were only a few suppliers, and the Fair Trade movement did not even exist. Today, there are many stores such as this in North America.

From the beginning, Global Gifts has been staffed by volunteers.

Today, volunteers from churches and neighborhoods all over Grand Rapids donate time to run the store and sell items at fairs, churches, and offices.

“This is a ministry for us,” said MaryJeanne Quist, another Global Gifts volunteer. “These items appeal to just about everyone.”

Everything you buy, she added, helps get a person out of poverty.

A brochure for Global Gifts says that when you buy from the store, “you not only buy beautiful, high-quality products, but you also buy peace of mind knowing that the artisan who made the product was not exploited or enslaved and received a fair wage.”

Terra cotta planters made by a woman named Etia, who lives in Bangladesh are a great example. Accompanying each planter was a card that told Etia’s story and expressed what working on the Fair Trade planters means to her.

“My work makes me very happy because it has enabled me to send my daughter to Shokina School,” she wrote.

Stories such as Etia’s come along with several of the items from Global Gifts and, said the volunteers in the CRCNA office, these stories add another blessing to Christmas giving this year.