Karama: A Truly Special Giveaway

I was recently contacted by a friend of the company, Karama, to see if I would be interested in featuring the company here on my blog.  I was so excited when I looked through Karama’s website-what an amazing ministry.

This is the story behind Karama, as shared by creator Dyan:

While living in Ethiopia, I developed friendships with many women who seemed to have no way out of the poverty they were in.  Many were selling local food, their own clothes, or even their bodies just to be able to send their children to school or to provide food for their elderly loved ones.  They seldom thought about their own needs.  These women were natural entrepreneurs and creators. 

We would brainstorm a little idea…give them a small skill to use and POOF they were off to try it…always creating and working hard to sell what they had made.  They taught me so much about graciousness, value and dignity.  I wanted to help them sell their products.  I realized that every dollar spent on these products was  a vote for these women to be successful.  Karama was born.

 

Today, Karama is an online shop of homemade goods (think Etsy), made by Ethiopian women and mothers.  Through the Karama website, you can meet the artisans and share in their personal stories and the stories behind their products.

{How cute are those duckies?  I am smitten!}

In celebration of this awesome company and the women and mothers behind it, I am offering the following giveaway of handmade Karama goodies!  One lucky winner will receive:

A large coconut fiber basket.  Perfect for all kinds of storage around the house and a great pop of texture for any room.  These baskets are handwoven by blind artisans in zanzibar.  Each basket is unique and has its own character.

A pair of jasmine yellow hoop earrings.   These earrings are called “summer hoops” on the Karama site but I think the gold color is perfect for  accessorizing a fall outfit.  Each bead is hand-made from paper by a group of disabled artisans in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

A rose headband – for yourself or for your girl!  Dress up your little girl’s outfit with a classic accessory or dress down your own for a fun, casual look.

Handmade with cotton fabric and screen-printed designs by women rehabilitating their lives in Tanzania after fistula surgery.

And finally, a beautiful journal {perfect for a prayer or scripture journal} made by a group of disabled artisans in iringa, tanzania.

 

In order to enter this giveaway, just leave a comment to this post!

A winner will be selected at random within the next week!

50 Comments

  1. I’ve not been a follower of your blog very long, but everytime I “stop by” I am encouraged. Thank you for your commitment to our Lord. I sing “this little light of mine” with my daughter every night when we put her to bed, and I pray that she will always be a light in this world. I thank you for being a light to me and so many others.

  2. How precious and beautiful are these women?!! Wow. All of these wares are such treasures.

  3. I’ve been following your blog for quite some time but have never commented.
    What a wonderful company! Such a good way to give women a chance and some hope esp when they work so hard!

  4. Those baskets are beautiful! Knowing the mission of the company and the stories of the hands that made them makes them even more beautiful. Wish I had a little girl for those sweet headbands!

  5. Thank you for introducing us to Karama today. What beautiful products with beautiful stories behind them. I am always looking for great places to order birthday presents from, this is a great place. So excited to bless friends and family while blessing others. Thanks. : )

  6. Beautiful stuff, beautiful organization! I’m checking out Moore on the site right now! Thanks for the introduction!

  7. i’m so grateful that you have featured karama on your *lovely* site. what an honor that you would take time to ‘introduce’ these karama artisans to your friends. i can attest that these are some of the hardest working, creative, hopeful women you could ever imagine… and yet, in their african context, life is very hard, harder than we might imagine. thank you erin for being the first ‘famous’ blogger (smile, you ARE!) to highlight us. we hope that with more pr, more people will hear about us, so that products will be shared, and more women will be empowered through the dignity of creative, fair trade work. isaiah 58:6-12

  8. Thanks for sharing this new site! I’ve shopped Ten Thousand Villages and Red Earth Trading Co., and this will be another great resource for meaningful gifts.

  9. What a great business model…helping people help themselves…hmmmm, think they are on to something 😉 Would be a great place to buy some Christmas gifts!

  10. What beautiful products! I always buy a Christmas ornament every year at our local craft show to help women in Africa.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  11. Thank you for offering this giveaway and sharing more about this ministry.

  12. I am a fellow Karama fan! I have purchased many items from this beautiful company and love each and every one. Thank you for featuring these women on your site! Every purchase makes a difference in the life of a very special woman and we can all feel great about that.
    Christmas shopping here I come!

  13. I always enjoy your blog. Thank you for sharing this company with your readers. These women are to be applauded for their tireless work to improve their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

    As an aside…can’t wait to hear about James’ arrival!

  14. What a beautiful company, thank you for sharing. Have you heard of 31Bits? It is a similar company. They sell beautiful jewlery, just like those earings. I would definitely share some of these goodies with my sister, she could use a little happy right now. Thank you!

    ~Jessica

  15. I am also a new reader to your blog and enjoy your writings and your willingness to share your journey! Thank you for introducing me to this wonderful company, I always choose companies like this, especially for gifts! What an amazing ministry.

  16. Thank you for reminding me what a big world this is and how much our God cares about each and every person in it!

  17. What wonderful hearts must be behind this company. I love how God’s people are not held back by geographical boundaries when it comes to lending a bit of love. Thanks for the post – I will check out the site for sure.

  18. Beautiful. I actually lived in Dar es Salaam for a year as a baby while my dad was working there. I’ve always wanted to go back but so far God has had other plans for me…

  19. Thank you for letting us know about this wonderful ministry! Keep up the good work!

  20. What a lovely site. I love that someone thought of this. Handmade items are so great and then the stories are so touching. I will be checking this out much more in the future.

  21. We are created to love stories, and connecting beautiful handmade things with the women’s stories makes it even more meaningful. Thanks for featuring this website!

  22. What beautiful work those hands have made. The stories behind each piece really make them that much more vibrant.

  23. Thanks for featuring Karama. I love this company and what they do for the women of Africa.

  24. What an awesome ministry! I loved their products and can see several gifts there, that I know friends would enjoy very much.

  25. This is such an inspired program-wow! I can’t go there but I can shop from here. I am really thankful for the people who do go there and help.

  26. What an incredible company you’re featuring. The products are so lovely and special since they are handmade. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you wait for Baby James to come. God is with you!

  27. Just found you via Pinterest (love your gold star runner!). Your blog is lovely and thanks for introducing me to Karama- it is bookmarked for Christmas shopping!

  28. What a neat company. Such a valuable and encouraging and beautiful thing for these women.

  29. I love everything about this. The rose headband is especially pretty!

  30. As a crafter, I appreciate the talent and artistry of these ladies half way around the world!

  31. I can’t tell if I’m too late to enter but if not, thank you for the chance to win such beautiful products. Above that, though, thank you for introducing me to this site. I absolutely love organizations like this and do everything I can to find them and support them as much as possible. Thanks again and…fingers crossed.

  32. After I comment I am going over to the website to check it all out. I love the story behind the site, thank you for sharing. And CONGRATS on sweet baby James 🙂 I just had my baby 4 weeks ago and I have no idea where the time went.

    PS: I really love your blog and all the scriptures you include.

  33. Oh E, this stuff is beautiful! What a great way to spread the word!

  34. Such a wonderful way to impact the world by using our spending dollars. Praying for your company!

  35. Wow! What a great web-site. I can’t wait to begin Christmas shopping!

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