In my never-ending quest for home design products that are not only beautiful, but also give back to hard-working craftspeople in developing countries, I discovered the website for the Pillow Dreams Project. This wonderful company, which began in 2003 after the owners volunteered in an infant home in Malawi, is a fair trade business that imports pillowcases and other craft products from developing nations and sells them in the US.
The pillows, made from gorgeous materials, such as silk, cotton and hemp and crafted by local tribal women in villages and townships of South Africa, Vietnam and Thailand, are sold online. Fifty-percent of the profits are donated to nonprofit programs that benefit children where the pillowcases are made.
Co-founders Renee Reitmeijer and Laura Tilley founded the organization help develop fair trade businesses that would allow local women in each country to continue to make a living wage while maintaining their traditional lifestyles. Ultimately their goal is to preserve and develop local traditional crafts and help support the future of underprivileged children.
Visit their website for more information about KOTO (Know One Teach One), a non-profit that keeps homeless Vietnamese children off the streets, and helps them build a better future. Proceeds also go to Open Arms Infants Home in Malawi, Africa, which provides food, shelter and care to orphans from birth to age five.
There is an incredible selection of stunning pillows to choose from in a rainbow of different colors, materials and designs. Prices are seriously affordable, with most in the range of $20-$35. They make wonderful gifts, but will also add an exotic flair to your home.
I think it is a win-win situation for all!
Technorati Tags: Pillow Dreams Project, exotic pillows, pillows with a purpose, non-profit home design, South African pillows, Vietnamese pillows, Thailand pillows, silk pillows, hemp pillows, KOTO, Open Arms Infants Malawai
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