Jewelry + Liberian Children - News Update

My husband Bill Lawhorn is leaving for Liberia, West Africa on April 30th to visit "Charity Orphanage". Here’s an update on the Liberian Orphan project and the jewelry sales that have supported it to date.

‘A Gem of a Cause’ - Spring Jewelry Sale

All profits from the jewelry I handcraft and sell at http://personaltreasures.etsy.com and http://mufi.etsy.com are donated to 'Charity Orphanage.'

The jewelry will be on sale April 27th - May 5rd with 10% off all the casual jewelry at Mufi Jewels and 20% off all of the elegant jewelry at Personal Treasures. You’ll find details posted at the shops and some jewelry photos in the right side bar.

If you have a jewelry-loving mother, or you are a jewelry-loving mother, this is an excellent, affordable way to buy something special for Mother’s Day. All pieces are one-of-a-kind or limited edition, original designs, and handmade with care by me.

Update on the Liberian Orphan project

• Bill is returning to Liberia to spend time with the children at ‘Charity Orphanage’ in Robertsport and other institutions in Cape Mount County and learn from them, and the people working with them, what they most need. He will be travelling for three weeks - and return with information and photos to share.

• To date, with your generous help, we’ve been sending money to support the children’s immediate needs. The most recent gift purchased over 400 lbs. of rice and other staples for the children.

Background on the Liberian Orphan Project

Bill served as a Peace Corp volunteer in Liberia from 1969 to 1972, where he taught elementary school. During the recent 14-year Civil War a Liberian woman Bill taught with took in 35 children and founded “Charity Orphanage” in Robertsport.

Before the war there were less than 10 orphanages in Liberia. Children without parents were informally fostered by relatives and neighbors. But in the war so many children lost their families that there are now more than 150 – many unable to meet the U.N.’s minimum requirements for the care of children.

Since returning to the United States Bill has been active with several organizations of Liberian expatriates who support Liberia's reconstruction (see Background below). He recently retired as a child welfare social worker.

To learn more about Liberia -

The photo heading this article of the Kemokai family was taken by Bill in 1972. The children in the family were in Bill's classes and he's looking forward to meeting them again - and their children. For recent photos of people and places around Robertsport, Liberia check Luca Varaschini’s blog -
http://varabis.blogspot.com/2009/03/robertsport-grand-cape-mount-county.html

A video interview with Ellen Johnston Sirleaf, the President of Liberia (and the first woman elected President of an African nation) on the Daily Show. http://bit.ly/eCeKW

A Liberian profile from the BBC -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1043500.stm

The U.N. report on Liberia’s orphanages - http://unmil.org/documents/humanrights_approvedthematicreport2007.pdf

The National Association of Cape Mountainians in the Americas (NACA) -
http://www.capemountusa.org

The Friends of Liberia
http://www.fol.org

Creative Gifts for Mother's that Benefit Charity - 2010 Edition

For a gift for a Mother in your life that she won't forget, consider a gift that gives back. Choosing a gift that benefits charity multiplies the impact of your choice. She will be touched, you'll feel good, and the charity will receive support to carry out its mission.



And - these gifts that give back are additionally special. Each one is designed and hand crafted by one of the artists or artisans selling their work on Etsy.com.

Is there a mother of three in your life? Or one? Or two? Or more? Heading this article is "Momma Bird," of a series of charming earrings and necklaces of freshwater pearls in silver or copper nests. They are crafted by April of "Humankindness" http://Humankindness.etsy.com where profits support (K-5) school in inpoverished rural Dhaderian, Punjab, India. Learn more about this project at http://www.humankindness4all.org/.



Wendy of Besem Natural Scents (http://BesemNaturalScents.etsy.com) creates lovely pampering gifts, fragranced candles and these natural cold-process, scented soaps, moisturizing and wonderful for your skin. 10% of the profits from Besem Natural Scents benefit orphan in Kazakhstan through the Antares Foundation (http://www.antaresorphans.blogspot.com).

Lissa Bird (http://lissabird.etsy.com) offers custom crafted, 'Love to Breathe' pendants, inspired by the life and work of her friend, painter Somer Love. Somer lives with Cystic Fibrosis and finds the simple act of breathing challenging. She reminds us that, "life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away." 100% of the profit from Lissa's 'Love to Breath' line is donated to benefit Cystic Fibrosis research at http://www.lovetobreathe.com/.





"The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family..." This pretty tea bowl from PrimAtive Pots (http://bit.ly/bvQTPc) is part of a series of lovely wheel-thrown ceramic bowls where 100% of profits are donated to the Central Asia Institute's Pennies for Peace program that supports education, especially for girls, in remote regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. http://www.ikat.org.



This is the initiative started by Greg Mortenson and described in his inspirational New York Times best selling book "Three Cups of Tea." For more information read http://www.threecupsoftea.com/ or watch video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKAWiSp3mLQ





A little flash of sparkling green in these "Petite Peridot" earrings from my own "Personal Treasures" shop (http://PersonalTreasures.etsy.com) where 50% of the proceeds from from everything in the shop supports the children at "Charity Orphanage" in Robertsport, Liberia, West Africa. 50% of the profits from my casual jewelry shop "Mufi Jewels" (http://mufi.etsy.com) are donated as well.



My husband Bill Lawhorn taught in Liberia and will return April 30th to visit "Charity Orphanage" and continue working with Liberian children. You can learn more about this project at http://personaltreasures.blogspot.com/2008/09/jewelry-liberian-children-gem-of-cause.html. Also, I will blog about this projects as it develops, so subscribe on the right for updates as they're posted.



For those quiet moments of reflection, these 'conscious living' journals from "This Is It" (http://ThisIsIt.etsy.com)Earth Saver, Peace, and Give. The husband and wife team of "This Is It" crafts ecofriendly gifts - photo albums, journals, greeting cards, and jewelry and donates 5% of profits to animal welface charities; Best Friends Animal Society (http://www.bestfriends.org), Humane Farming Association (http://www.hfa.org/about/index.html), The Jane Goodall Institute (http://www.janegoodall.org), and The Anti-Vivisection Society (http://www.navs.org).





This set of colorful bracelets of recycled paper beads are crafted by the Nicaraguan women of Bead Amigas http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeadAmigas. 100% of sales of Bead Amigas jewelry benefits their villages through fair wages, training, and community development projects. You can learn more about Bead Amigas at http://www.beadamigas.org.

I 'heart' artisans who benefit charity with their work and frequently write about them and their creative fundraising initiatives. You will find many, many more suggestions for beautiful and original gifts that benefit charity on this blog. You can find links to the articles in the Table of Contents to the right under "Gifts That Benefit Charity."