CHAMPIONING WOMEN FOR THE FUTURE!
It’s a common saying, typically in the face of new life coming into the world, “it takes a village”. It takes a village to raise a baby into a well rounded human being and it takes a village to keep supporting each other through it all.
That is a big reason why ITDF and Lanna Foundation have continued to support women in 6 different hill tribes in Thailand to pursue their business in handmade goods. It takes a village to support families climbing their way out of poverty and an avenue that we are helping them in that is through Hands to Heart Women’s Cooperative & Hands to Heart Thailand.
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Over Mother’s Day weekend, Hands to Heart, a Cooperative dedicated to empowering women in the northern hill tribes of Thailand, hosted a successful sales event at the Old Town Flea Market.
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The Cooperative started in order to provide material, educational, and financial support to artisans in Thailand who desire to grow their business but don’t have all the resources they need available to them. One of the ways that we support these artisans is helping sell their goods!
Hands to Heart Thailand started stateside as a way to directly benefit Thai artisans by getting the word out about their business and help them to succeed!
With a mission to foster sustainable income for these women and their families, Hands to Heart presented a captivating array of handcrafted and hand-woven textiles. Each piece, boasting intricate patterns and vibrant colors, served as a testament to tradition, craftsmanship, and empowerment.
The outpouring of support from the community was tremendous over Mother’s Day weekend!
Items ranging from native shoulder bags, decorative pillow shams and tribal table runners, to an assortment of stuffed animals, dolls, and keepsake ornaments all found new homes! These all directly contribute to the livelihoods of these talented artisans.
Beyond providing a platform for these remarkable women to showcase their skills, the event underscored the importance of supporting fair trade and sustainable practices.
Through the sales of the weekend, we raised about $850 for Hands to Heart Women’s Coop!
As we revel in the weekend’s success, let’s commemorate the profound impact of uniting to champion women’s empowerment and economic independence. Your support is truly transformative, shaping brighter futures for these women and their communities. Together, we are weaving a tapestry of hope and opportunity!
To further support Hands to Heart Women's Cooperative, we hosted a paint fundraiser!
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On June 9th, we hosted a paint-along fundraiser led by Jenn Bell. She led us through a beautiful abstract, watercolor seascape! There were about 15 total participants and many beautiful works of art resulted from an afternoon of coming together!
Another thing that resulted from this time was that we raised $1,165 for Hands to Heart Women’s Cooperative! Through ticket sales, as well as a pop-up Hands to Heart shop we had set up, we were able to raise these funds for women in Thailand!
We are so incredibly blessed and thankful to all the women who came out for this event and we are looking forward to more of these FUNdraisers in the future… stay tuned 😉
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None of these things would be possible without you, our generous supporters! We are so blessed and grateful for your willingness to serve these women in Thailand through finances, sharing their stories, and volunteering your time towards these events. Thank you so much!
Learn More!
If you would like to learn more about Hands to Heart Women’s Cooperative, check out our page talking about the “why” of this initiative.
Give More!
There’s opportunity to become a monthly or one time donor specifically towards Hands to Heart Women’s Cooperative. Even a little goes a long way!