World of Good, Inc.: Making an Impact on the Lives of Its Artisans
Lately, at my local HEB grocery store, I’ve found myself browsing the products on a little kiosk in the whole foods section. It’s located where all of the organic things are sold.
But these goods — many of them jewelry, scarves, and handbags –are affordably priced and quite lovely.
So I decided to inspect the tag on a couple of things and found that these things are made by the same company called World of Good, Inc. On the tag, the website is listed, as is a little story about the company.
I came home and did a little research on the website, as well as to look them up in the news, to see if their story is as good as it sounds. I found a company that has a considerable economic and social impact on its industrious artisans and their local communities, and whose Founder Priya Haji is making it possible for women around the world to make their living from home while being available to their families. As a mother myself, that alone stole my heart.
But worldofgood.com also makes it possible for us, the collectively powerful as consumers, to shop conscientiously and support “those who are disabled and marginalized in their economies” by fostering a global atmosphere of fair trade in producing goods that are “sustainable to the environment and conditions of life, made by hand to create employment, by women working in homes and communities, to live better with their children.”
The business’s philosophy is well stated here by Ms. Haji:
What we are being able to see is there is a one-for-one correlation when we redirect market consumption towards conscious consumption. We can make a development benefit as well as an environmental benefit. Redirecting those dollars in the marketplace can create a real change in communities.
So not only are the goods produced under good and fair working conditions, but they are also of high quality, are ethnically beautiful and exotic, handcrafted, unique and one-of-a-kind, and well made. World of Good has 1,100 stands in whole food sections of stores worldwide, helps up to 6,000 women to make a living from home and to sustain themselves economically, and affects the lives of 23,000 children worldwide. I would say that is a great cause to support!
Take a look at their catalog to see what they have to offer that you might like:
http://www.world-of-good.com/catalog/
Listen to Ms. Haji’s aims for her company:
We in the Westernized world owe it to those in other underdeveloped parts of the globe to spend responsibly, practicing ethical consumerism when we choose our goods. In short, we need to care when we buy — about the person who made the product, imagine a face, the conditions she worked under, how much she makes, and how her children are faring. With World of Good, Inc., that guesswork is taken out, as 10 percent of their profits go back into the World of Good Development Organization to help the local communities where these workers live, from building a computer lab to building a well.
This company’s premise is really as simple as Ms. Haji says:
We know that Americans are looking to buy beautiful things but to also feel good about what is behind those things, and that’s the story that we really bring to and the choice that we bring to women like me who want to find those things and to support that through the beautiful things that we wear. We are looking for products that have more behind them than just things.
Call your local whole foods store or grocer if you would like to see these goods sold there, or have them visit here: https://www.worldofgood.com/catalog/partnership_application.php or here: http://www.worldofgoodwholesale.com/support/.
I’m just so glad that I ran across this wonderful company. It appears to have a big heart, and I hope to see it grow by leaps and bounds. Priya Haji and her company should get worldwide recognition for having heart and actually making a difference in the world, especially in waking us up as consumers to think about how much power we have to make a difference in others’ lives. I’m definitely thinking more about whose expertise and hard work are going into what I buy.
Cited: ABC News report at <a href=”http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1776742″>http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1776742</a>
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