prAna: Sustainable Clothing

Women are the backbone of families and societies around the world. They perform 66% of all labor, produce 50% of the world’s food and bear 100% of children.

Cross Posted From Treehugger

There are multiple layers of beauty behind the organization Hands Up Not Handouts (HUNHO) whose mission is to help empower the world’s impoverished women. How you ask? By helping them hone in on their knack for handcrafting goods from native materials which in turn, generates income that they, their families and communities can sustain themselves off of. This micro-enterprise model isn’t by any means new, HUNHO is yet just another successful example that’s making a dent for the better. What won’t make a huge dent in your wallet are the oh-so-cool and hip handcrafted accessories being made from HUNHO‘s Palestine and Rwanda-based women run cooperatives.

HUNHO is the brainchild of the American philanthropic Sager family who in 2000 set out to travel to the world’s developing countries. Wishing to help the people they met along the way, without just handing out money as charity–they believe this can create dependency with no lasting positive effect–they instead became venture capitalists of sorts. After investing in a project, they help implement it–mentoring the artisans along the way with product development, strategy, marketing and distribution. And the final product is nothing short of positive and gorgeous for women in Rwanda and Palestine who are working through HUNHO cooperatives.

Is it any surprise that fashion icons and rock stars like Kate Hudson, Gwen Stefani and Rihanna would adorn themselves in these urban-chic, circular earrings that come in electrifying colors like hot pink, apple red and lemonade yellow? Or that they’d embellish their wrists in candy-colored strappy cuffs and wraps like these simple yet statement making tie-bracelets? I for one, likely along with these three fashion divas, eagerly await the continued artisan made crafts that arise from future HUNHO partnerships. It’s a simple, affordable and one-of-a-kind-way to support girl power–not to mention sustainable developing communities as all of the proceeds trickle back to the ladies in charge.

::Hands Up Not Handouts