The Crystal Ball of International Development

Irish non-government organization (NGO) Trocaire recently published Leading Edge 2020. Intended to spark conversation on the future of international development, it's chalk full of research, analysis, and critical thinking, acknowledging that the context and challenges of international development have changed dramatically in the last ten years and will be continuing to do so. It concludes with 10 things INGOs should do.

Find the report here. Looks like I'll be cuddling up with my laptop for some solid reading.

(Via Hauser Center's blog)

FEED Projects

FEED Projects' burlap bag, stamped with "FEED" and a number signifying the impact the purchase has, is one of the first purchase-for-good items I saw. And apparently, FEED is still going strong. According to its website, they have sold over 516,000 bags, which has allowed them to provide over 60,000,000 meals.

(Buy this bag online here)

Every creation the organization sells (which now includes t-shirts, accessories, and a variety of bags for different causes) is made using fair-labor production and environmentally-friendly and artisan-made materials.

A few favorites:

FEED men's shirt.

FEED 2 Kenya bag. The bag, which is handcrafted in Kenya by a co-op of women and deaf Kenyans, is also priced to include $100 to provide two Kenyan children with healthy school meals for a year.

Check out these or other items from the FEED Projects' online shop, or learn more about the organization's foundation, mission and various projects by visiting the website.

Happy Aloha Friday, all!

Even Your Skivvies Can Do Good

PACT. Organic, socially responsible, and a percent of proceeds go to one of several causes, from raising awareness of coal consumption with Sierra Club to lighting Haiti. Flesh mobs for good reason? Too awesome.

PACT's "Beyond Coal" bikini underwear.

This image, which is stands on its own, is from their blog; for each pair sold during Earth Week they planted 20 trees in Africa.

PACT underwear can be bought online, at Nordstrom.com, and at various retail locations. Check out the website.

Kraal Gallery Rugs

The Kraal Gallery is a family-run South African business that creates gorgeous rugs, tapestries and bags. They  train women to be skilled weavers and fiber artists -- allowing them to incorporate their creativity and tradition while providing income to struggling communities.

Learn more about the business and its products here.

Hulu Hosts Nonprofit Ads During NVW

National Volunteer Week ended April 25, but while it was going on, I noticed that every commercial during an episode of House (guilty pleasure) was for a nonprofit. Here are a couple of such (similar) ads:

This PSA (Public Service Announcement) for the NYC Food Bank was produced by award-winning director Stefan Forbes and features celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, and the actress from Crossing Jordan. Not a fan of the opening music, but the silence later makes up for it.

OK, this one isn't exact. The video I saw on Hulu for Charity : Water was comprised of parts of the organization's September 2010 campaign to bring water to the Bakaya people in the Central African Republic, as seen here. To me, Charity : Water is on the forefront of using multimedia and social media for fundraising and spreading the word. You can watch more of its videos here.

I like that Charity : Water's campaign deviates from the more traditional "what celebrities think" PSA which, while perhaps effective, can also be alienating. Bonus good news is that Hulu offers ad revenue for PSAs (in March, they posted a blog about what they would be doing to help after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan).

Beginning at the Beginning

Every good journal/notebook/sketchpad (of mine) kicks off with a blank and forever-promising first page. Cross my heart, it's an excellent sign.