When I was 19 I took a college course in Women Studies at Cal State Long Beach and this class changed my life forever. During the class we studied women in the US and women in developing countries. I had no idea about the mistreatment of women in other cultures besides my own. Then I graduated and went to live in Mexico for a Summer. I was paid $500 a month to run the activities at a small resort in Puerto Vallarta. It didn’t seem like a lot of money to me, but it was because maids and construction workers made about $2.00 a day for very long hours, hard work and only one day off a week. This was the beginning of my realization that we have it pretty good here and I wanted to help better the lives of these women in developing countries.
In 2008 I opened a store called Vida Verde and I started buying Fair Trade. I had no idea at the time the importance of this until I learned about Fair Trade. What I found out in the process is that by buying earrings, a bracelet or a recycled sari coin purse I was providing jobs for women in developing countries and giving them worth and a voice in their homes and communities. I was hooked and decided that this is going to be my life mission to help these women and what better way than to give them a job!I hope you will join me in supporting the Fair Trade movement that is happening right before our eyes here in the USA!
I hope that you will find it in your heart to help these women across the globe by supporting Fair Trade and our organization Fair Trade LA.
