Welcome to Heart of the Sky Fair Trade

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***If your order is over $100 you can receive either an Equal Exchange chocolate sampler or a 12 oz. bag of coffee at no charge to you.  Just go to the 'Free Stuff' category and make your selection.***

January 2010

This is my favorite time of the year.  After the holidays I take a deep breath, catch up on my paperwork, take a look at my remaining inventory, start to think about what to order for the spring, and then wire money down to Guatemala so the women can start working. 

If you've been on my website before or if you've spent any amount of time talking to me you know that I began importing fair trade textiles and jewelry from Guatemala as a way to improve to the lives of people that I had met while I was in Guatemala volunteering as a human rights observer.  I have seen with my own eyes the impact that our consumer power has.  I have seen people violently kicked off of their land with no reparations so sweatshops can be built to keep our closets stuffed with cheap clothing.  I have sat with people whose lives have been threatened because they were speaking out against gold mining in Guatemala that poisons their drinking water with cyanide.  Yes, you read that right--cyanide.  Which begs the question:  At what point do we look beyond borders, nationalities, and ethnicities to understand that everyone, EVERYONE, has the right to clean water, food security, adequate housing, education, and medical care?  At what point do we realize that adorning ourselves at the expense of others is not a birthright?

'Fair trade' is a simple, straight-forward concept: pay people fairly for their labor and their lives will improve. When artisans and farmers are paid fairly extraordinary changes in their lives occur. They can stockpile a few months worth of beans and corn in case the next crop fails.  (Imagine the relief of not having to worry about whether or not your family will go hungry!) They can put a tin roof on their house before the rainy season hits. They can afford transportation so their kids can go to the neighboring village where the traveling nurse is giving diptheria boosters. They can dig a well so they have a consistent source of water. They don't have to risk their lives coming to the US to slaughter our chickens and pick our strawberries. They have hope. They can envision a better life.  They HAVE better lives.  

I can't thank you enough for your continued support on this journey.  Not a day goes by that I am not filled with gratitude.  Thank you for your purchases, thank you for your encouragement, thank you for spreading the word to your friends and family.  Whenever I begin to feel discouraged I remind myself that 'action is the antidote to despair,' I think of you, my customers, I think of the women that I have partnered with in Guatemala, and my energy is renewed.  Yes, another world is possible.  

Where can you find Heart of the Sky Fair Trade products in person? (Check back often for updates.)

1.  March 15th and 16th at The Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies and International Education Conference in Middleton, Wisconsin.  

2.  April 15th, 16th and 17th at the Southern Conference on Language Teaching in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

3.  April 17th at the Green Day Festival in Madison, Wisconsin.

4.  May 8th at the Portage County Cultural Festival in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

5.  June 18th, 19th and 20th at The Midwest Renewable Energy Association Fair in Custer, Wisconsin.

6.  I don't have a physical store, but if you are in the southwest Wisconsin area and want to do some shopping in person, great! Just give me a call (608-588-5223) and we'll arrange something. (I live about 45 minutes west of Madison.)

7.  Host a Fair Trade Fundraiser. (Click on the link at the left for details.)

8. If you think my products would be a good match for your local co-op, gift shop, etc, let me know and I'll send out my wholesale information.

Thank you for supporting human rights by supporting fair trade. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments. My e-mail address is melindavanslyke@gmail.com and my phone number is 608-588-5223.

Melinda