Beads For Darfur

By: Melissa Barrett-Traister

Nearly every day,I have someone stopping me to ask where my jewelry comes from. I'm a jewelry FANATIC. I remember making my own jewelry at an early age,and it is still something I like to do every now and again.
Having said that,most of my recent jewelry purchases have been done in order to support charitable causes across the globe.That's why this blog is coming to all of you about my most recent love,courtesy of Relief Beads.

Here's what they have to say about their reasoning behind the jewelry making cause:

"The United Nations has recognized the situation in Darfur as "the world's worst humanitarian crisis." Since the conflict began in 2003, more than 2.5 million people have been forced to leave their homes. Relief Beads is a grassroots campaign selling handmade African bracelets to raise awareness and money for Relief International's humanitarian efforts in Darfur. In 2007, Relief International supported tens of thousands of refugees in Darfur and donated more than $14 million to crises worldwide.

Relief International's programs are essential for stability in Darfur: they operate the second largest refugee camp, administer medical care at several clinics, provide life-saving therapeutic care to countless children, and fund educational costs for thousands of students. To learn more about Relief International's programs please visit www.ri.org. We truly need your help to achieve our goal in selling 250,000 Relief Beads to provide relief to thousands of people in Darfur. Every Relief Beads purchased directly provides a significant contribution, especially to the women and children in Darfur. Relief Beads serve as a symbol that you care and are committed to providing relief for people less fortunate than you. Relief Beads bracelets are handmade in Africa, so each and every bracelet is unique. We may not always have the opportunity to change things in our world that need to be corrected, but this is your opportunity to provide relief to a situation that truly needs changing."

The best part of these beads(the bracelets are my favorite) is that you can help someone from far away, not to mention be fashionable at the same time. I placed my order this evening,and hope that other people follow along soon...

For more information,please visit
ReliefBeads.Org

Much love,
Melissa