Last day! Order Monday for Holiday Delivery!

Friends! We're still offering free shipping for the holidays, and it's not too late to do your shopping with us. Order by Monday, December 20th, to ensure pre-holiday delivery. We also received our last minute shipment from Uganda, so stock up on scarves in all colors, and our awesome jewelry!

We look forward to wrapping up your gifts with love - just let us know at checkout if this is a gift and we'll include a hand-written note, and make sure that the receipt only comes to you!

An Afternoon with Nagawa Grace

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Nagawa Grace, one of the women who works for One Mango Tree, and her family. I was able to instantaneously see the positive effects that her work at One Mango Tree was able to bring to the community. Her confidence, and the way she interacts with her children, exudes such a nature of security and strength that I know the entire neighborhood can feel.

Her compound is right near ours so we walked over in the afternoon and stayed until it got dark. Lauranne had taught her Skip-Bo earlier in the day and when we came over she was still playing! We were able to walk around the compound and meet all of her family and neighbors. Some women were pumping water, others washing, others cooking. We went and talked to the men who were resting from harvesting the G-nuts (African peanuts) for a few minutes and they engaged us in a very philosophical talk about America and why it’s extremely important for them to go there.

After a while we settled onto some mats on the grassy highland and began endless rounds of Skip-Bo. More and more people joined each round. Others came and sat near-by with cards and played also. Sitting with us was a family of 5 grown sisters. They were all so beautiful and full of life and hysterical. The Acholi people love to be silly and love it when you are silly too. They love for you to dance and joke and make a fool out of yourself. They call it being “stubborn”.  As the sun went down our night came to a forced end but we were sad to leave. Some of the teenage boys walked us back to our house on their way to watch the football game at a local place. We waved goodbye with promise of spending time together again soon.

Spread the Love! Our December Giveaway is HERE!

Friends! We have a sweet gift for you this holiday season - all you have to do is spread the word about One Mango Tree. One lucky winner will receive an extra special gift from us - one of our Yoga Mat Bags and a matching Eye Pillow (winner chooses the color!) - a $43 value!

Our beautiful Yoga Mat Bag

Our deliciously-scented organic Eye Pillow, filled with Lavender, Lemon Balm and Marjoram goodness - herbs grown on a beautiful organic farm on the shores of Lake Victoria. 30 seconds in the microwave and you'll have instant {warm & cozy} stress relief!

Here's how you can win:

Step ONE: Simply tweet or blog about us! Link this this giveaway.
Step TWO: Just tag us with @OneMangoTree (twitter or facebook)

Do this and you'll be in the running to win a Yoga Mat Bag & Eye Pillow!

(there is no limit to entries, so share the word and spread the love!)

Changes in Gulu: Handing Over the Keys

Hello! Happy Holidays! My name is Martina and I am the new voice for social media here in Gulu, Uganda. I live at the One Mango Tree house where the women come everyday to work. I attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara and earned my degree in English. When I was home for the holidays one year I saw a presentation by Watoto about the work being done in Uganda and the effects of war, poverty, and disease on the country. I loved the vision of cultivating a generation of leaders to lift Uganda out of its crisis and create a sustainable country.

Starting with the dream of coming to work with Watoto, I eventually made it out with no certain organization in mind and was able to find a children’s home to work with. Hearing about possible opportunity opening up at One Mango Tree I applied online. After I arrived in Uganda I was contacted by One Mango Tree and hired to take Lauranne’s place as she continues her journey. Lauranne was here for almost a year and has given me such a wealth of knowledge! She has taught me so much about the Acholi people, the language, and what our organization is serving to do in this city and around the world.

I love living where the women work, visiting them in their homes and seeing the good their work at OMT has done in their lives. They are able to feed their children and provide for the basic needs of clothing, schooling, and shelter. My highest hope for my time at OMT is only that I would get individual time with each of the women who work here and be able to invest deeply into their lives. I want to help them learn to save their money, become even more English literate, and become fully self-sustainable. I'm excited to share this journey with you.

Christmas Blessings,
Martina

Don't miss it: Cleveland Whole Foods Event this Weekend!

I'll be at the Whole Foods on Cedar Road this Sunday afternoon, so come check out the selection of One Mango Tree products and learn more about our efforts in Uganda!

Whole Foods Market
13998 Cedar Road
Cleveland, Ohio

Afterwards, be sure to stop off at Revive for some holiday shopping!

The Making of our Hand-loomed Scarves

One of our absolute favorite new releases this Winter is our One Mango Tree Hand-loomed Scarf!

In a partnership with Wawoto Kacel, a fantastic local cooperative, we were able to collaborate on a collection of uniquely dyed cotton scarves that will surely keep you warm this holiday season! Wawoto has a terrific staff trained with attention to the highest quality. The cooperative was started in 1997 by a group of HIV positive women. Today it provides employment and skills-training for more than 150 vulnerable individuals. Here's a behind the scenes look at the MAKING OF these beautiful, limited edition scarves:


The scarf starts out as cotton yarns, which are bleached, dyed, hung
to dry, and spun into brightly colored rolls.


It takes hours to set each piece of thread on the loom but finally, voila!
The artisans work their magic and the rainbow of beautiful, unique colors is
woven into a wide swath of fabric. This raw fabric is then brought to the One
Mango Tree Workshop to be cut into scarves, with edges sewn into neat seams.


Each one is unique and stunning, especially when you take a closer look! We couldn't be more thrilled with the final product and we're so happy to have partnered with Wawoto Kacel this holiday season. We look forward to collaborating again in the near future to continue empowering the surrounding community of northern Uganda.

SHOP THESE SCARVES HERE.

Re-usable Shopper Tote only $10

As I was walking to the market this afternoon, I was completely in awe of the fall colors around me. This past weekend was surely the peak of fall foliage for Washington, DC, but today's breeze made it seem like the air was filled with color. Not unusually, the beauty made me think of Uganda, and the soft golden light just before sunset in Gulu.

One of our newest products, the Shopper Totes are inspired by fall's incredible color, with sweet messages that really speak to how we at One Mango Tree feel about fair trade. My personal favorite features a beautiful golden fall leaf which reads:

"Empower a woman and you'll change the entire world."

That belief is pretty much at the core of what we do at One Mango Tree. At only $10, our Shopper Totes make great gifts - the office holiday party, a friend moving into a new place, etc. Each tote makes sure we're keeping the One Mango Tree ladies working, and always creating new jobs for other women in Northern Uganda. Help us get the word out by buying, sharing and carrying one of our One Mango Tree Shopper Totes - and then when people ask about your bag, you'll be part of the story too!

xo Halle

Just spread the love to win our NOVEMBER giveaway!

Friends, we've got a NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY for you!
Just in time for the Holidays...

Our Winter 2010 Handloomed Scarf in Eggplant

One lucky winner will receive a small, sweet package from our ladies in Uganda with one of our *brand new* EGGPLANT HAND-LOOMED SCARVES ($26 value) tucked inside. We're not ashamed to say we've been drooling over it for months! Each is unique, limited edition, and woven right here in northern Uganda. So, if you don't manage to grab one before they run out, you can win yours' right here. Oh, and if this deal couldn't get any sweeter: shipping's on us!

Enough of the sweet talk, here's how you can win!

Step ONE: Simply tweet or blog about us! Link this this giveaway.
Step TWO: Just tag us with @OneMangoTree (twitter or facebook)

Do this and you'll be in the running to win the apple of our affection, our One Mango Tree Winter 2010 Handloomed Scarf in Eggplant!

If you can't tell, we pretty excited to send this sweet thing to your doorstep...

So get to tweeting!

DC Downtown Holiday Market

Mark your calendars, DC shoppers!

We'll be in Washington, DC, this holiday season! Stop by our booth at the DC Downtown Holiday Market, 12 - 8 pm December 13-14 (that's Monday and Tuesday). The market is on F Street between 7th and 9th, near the National Portrait Gallery. If you work downtown, it's a must-do December lunch break. We'll have all of the gorgeous One Mango Tree products, and some freebies to boot! Make sure to tell friends, and let us know if we'll see you there - check out our Event page on Facebook!


Check out some of the great photos from past Downtown Holiday Markets - nothing better to get you in the holiday spirit - lots of caroling, hot drinks and twinkly lights - not to mention awesome products. Our favorite, The Red Persimmon will be there too!

xo Halle

'Empowerment' made real.

Over the past six weeks, our ladies have completed an incredible Financial training course and have begun their own Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). Fancy terms aside, it's one of the many beautiful ways that their incomes from sewing and creating are being multiplied and yet another way that YOUR purchases are transforming lives here in northern Uganda. Simply put: empowerment is truly being made real at One Mango Tree... read further to hear the exciting news!




In the span of these six financial trainings, our ladies have saved over ONE MILLION shillings (about $500) as a VSLA group. AMAZING! We were told this is pretty extraordinary for a beginning group... so proud of the ladies and excited to see how their savings will continue to empower their futures.

AWESOME!

xo lauranne

Visitor Spotlight: Hilary Dell

All week, we've been so thrilled to welcome a dear friend back into our midst that we have to share it with you.

Hilary Dell is an extraordinarily-loved past One Mango Tree volunteer and an awesome fashion designer/buyer for our friends and partners at Global Girlfriend. Before working full-time for Global Girlfriend and traveling around the world working with groups of artisans, she spent a summer living and working with our ladies here at the Workshop in Gulu, Uganda.

I wish we could've captured the faces and squeals of the moment Hilary entered the Workshop for the first time in over a year and a half. Because of the war and the plethora of NGOs meeting all different needs in northern Uganda, many aid-workers come and go... few returning to embrace the friendships they once made. For Hilary to return, to embrace the women with hugs and laughter, to sit with them and teach them about the new designs they'd be sewing was tremendous for them - and awesome to watch.

Needless to say, it was a fantastic week! Hilary, we were so happy to have you here and we can't wait for you to return! (We'll have your favorite 'Stoney' soda awaiting you upon arrival!)

xo lauranne

OMT Gives: Children's Cancer & Blood Foundation

Katie Couric, honored at the CCBF Breakthrough Ball, received a One Mango Tree bag!

Our tote bags for the Ohio Fair Trade Expo were such a big hit, that word spread about One Mango Tree's promotional bag business. Shortly after the Expo, we received a call from the Children's Cancer & Blood Foundation - an organization that raises funds to improve treatment for children with cancer and blood disorders. Each year the Foundation holds a gala benefit called the Breakthrough Ball - this year honored several activists, including Katie Couric. Attendees raised more than $1 million for research, and went home with a beautiful One Mango Tree tote bag! Check out the pics! We're honored to have been a part of supporting this awesome cause!

Breakthrough Ball attendees sport their One Mango Tree tote bags!
Want to see One Mango Tree bags at your event? Contact us at info@onemangotree.com.

FEATURED: Dallas Clayton + An AWESOME World

We know we're not in the business of children's books or even childrenswear (as of yet!) but we think every human being should read this book. Dallas Clayton is a fabulous author who's been traveling the country with the belief that children and people everywhere should rekindle the ability to dream - really dream - about the world, our lives, and how whimsical they can be if we let them.

So, here's our ode to Dallas and the movement of dreamers he's encouraging to make the world a better place by loving the people in it. The heart of this book is why we at One Mango Tree do what we do - we're dreaming of a better life for those who deserve it. We want to be dreamers of big dreams and we want to empower others with the opportunity to dream big dreams here in northern Uganda.



IDEA: For the Holidays, why not wrap up a One Mango Tree handbag and a copy of Dallas' book "An Awesome World" and give it to a dreamer near you? The best of both worlds - idea and action.

Take a look at the entire book on his website.

xo lauranne

The Power of Encouragement

"I got my bag and I love it! Those women
are so talented. My support is forever."
- Cheryl from Florida, USA

You know, it's tremendous the effect that encouragement can have on an individual. Just think about it... has there been a monumental person in your life who is always cheering for you, someone you can count on to lift you up when you need it? It can transform an entire workplace when the employees are motivated by belief in their abilities to succeed rather than fear of making a mistake.

We want this to be true now more than ever with our hard-working ladies here in Uganda. They need encouragement just as much as the next individual. Recently, we decided to jot a customer's awesome review on the ladies' chalkboard to see if it could be a motivating factor.

We couldn't believe the response; because they're so far away from the US and our customers, they hadn't even heard a real specific review of their products. The women burst into a choir of cheers and claps, as if someone had just won the lottery. Seeing sincere smiles and laughs on the faces of our ladies is one of my favorite joys of working at One Mango Tree. It makes it all real, acknowledging the beauty of the human emotion and living life with them.

In a culture that has experienced so much oppression and discouragement, these small acts of love on behalf of our customers create sweet, sweet moments. If you have a comment or review you'd like to share with our ladies, simply leave your comment here! We promise we'll share it with them!

xo lauranne

Ohio Fair Trade Retrospective

I had a great time kicking off Fair Trade Month in Ohio! I was lucky enough to be part of a group interview on NPR talking about Fair Trade in Northeast Ohio - a pretty controversial topic in this part of the country, as the inevitable question arises - is buying fair trade a luxury most people cannot afford? Some callers raised some great questions - listen to me, Jacqueline DeCarlo (author, Fair Trade: Beginner's Guide), Lisa Dunn (of Revive) and Julie Verdon (of Ten Thousand Villages) talk about fair trade's role and importance in light of tough economic times in the United States.

Before the weekend, I took a quick trip out to Revive's original store in Cleveland Heights and picked up a sweet pair of Indigenous gloves to brave the Ohio climate.

On Saturday, October 9, my Mom (and our awesome Business Manager) headed out to John Carroll University for the Ohio Fair Trade Expo.

Staffing the One Mango Tree booth at Ohio Fair Trade Expo Marketplace!
I'm wearing our dolman sleeve top in cherry and our NEW hand-loomed scarf in eggplant.

Everyone loved the promotional tote bags we donated to the event - more than 200 people running around showing off One Mango Tree's beautiful work! They were a hit!

I loved participating in panels - here I am with Alia Kate, founder of Kantara Crafts during Faces of Fair Trade. I also participated in a panel focusing on the Environment, where I spoke about the challenges and rewards of sourcing organic cotton fabric for our products.

I hope you're enjoying Fair Trade Month! Remember, Every Purchase Matters!

xo ~ Halle

Our October GIVEAWAY!

Friends, we've got some exciting news for you. We have a new giveaway up our sleeves in celebration of Fair Trade Month!



We want to make sure you have the opportunity to win our *brand new* fair-trade BETTY CLUTCH! You'll be one of the first to own it. It's a beautiful, sweet and sturdy clutch intricately handwoven from local banana leaves here in northern Uganda. We've been drooling over it since it arrived and we can't wait to see who will receive it! All you have to do is:

(1) Mention and link this giveaway on your blog, your Twitter, or your Facebook page (and be sure to include @OneMangoTree)! When you've done this, simply comment below to let us know!

This giveaway will end on November 1st at 10:00am. You're not limited to entries, just spread the love and let us know about it! Winner will be selected at random. Shipping is on us, packaged with love and care, sent complimentary to your doorstep!

Spread the love and we'll announce the winner here on our blog and twitter!

Employee of the Month

We just began a sweet new monthly recognition program: One Mango Tree's Employee of the Month! The recipient is someone who's shown outstanding character, who's helped co-workers, who's gone above and beyond to bring unity and quality to One Mango Tree. Each month, they'll recieve an official certificate and 10,000 shillings as a bonus to use however they like. We're pretty excited about it!

This past September, our beloved Akwero Eunice (recognize her from our Fall 2010 photoshoot?) was chosen as our first recipient. She has a contagious joy about her and a willingness to make sure the impossible becomes possible. She comes in early, leaves late, is always laughing and joking with those around her, and even volunteered to help model for us in her spare time. She chose to re-invest her 10,000 shillings in the One Mango Tree Village Savings & Loans Association! Talk about a kick-butt woman.

To be honest, these will be quite difficult. We have so many terrific ladies that are consistently doing incredible work personally and professionally, that I can't even predict who will be chosen for October.

Stay tuned and we'll announce who the ladies have chosen in early October!

From the Workshop: Photo

Today, the ladies had a really sweet opportunity to be photographed. We can't spill the beans just yet but we'll definitely share more later.

For the shoot, they were to wear traditional Acholi-wear like this kikoyo wrapped with an iridescent band around the waste to accentuate the hips. This is what many women wear to weddings, celebrations, parties, and all sorts of community gatherings. With so much modern technology and culture making it's way across gulu, it was humbling and exciting to see our ladies tap into their own personal roots...

More updates coming soon!

Message from Earth: Organic Matters

Check out this brilliant digital short put together for Farm Aid 25 on October 2. Does organic matter to you? It certainly matters to us.

We'd love to hear why you buy organic, or why you don't. Start the conversation!

National Yoga Month + 6 Fresh Finds

Whether you're a beginner or a guru, in a final hoorah for September (National Yoga month!), we want to share some of our favorite (some made by our ladies!) ethical finds that will leave the world a better place with your purchase. So get to stretching and bring in the Fall with our six fresh yoga finds!

1. Our new organic cotton gaucho pants (made fair-trade by ladies in uganda), 2. Gaiam premium sticky yoga mat (latex-free), 3. Kor One hydration vessel, 4. 'Relax' Eye Pillow (see how they're made!), 5. One Mango Tree yoga mat bag (made fair-trade with organic cotton), 6. "The Essential Rumi" book of poetry

In the words of Rumi and one of our favorites:

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground."

WEEK 2 of Savings & Loans

The VLSA group is alive and kickin'! Today, the ladies met for the second time with Stephen (remember him?) and the Village Savings & Loans Association took form for the very first time. The laughter is still coming, by the way!

They received an official blue safe with three keys and a sweet One Mango Tree logo to collect weekly savings and loans safe. They also elected women who would hold chairperson, secretarial, treasury positons, etc. Stephen said that this is the most he's seen a group save at the first initial meeting. Our ladies are working it!

More photos to come!

The Making of Relax & Energize Eyepillows

She is a beautiful, strong woman that only speaks when she has something important and positive to say. However, she's also that quiet one that you'd never expect to crack the jokes that make all of us laugh. We love her and we're excited to introduce you to her... Meet Josephine.


When life is too much, put on some relaxing tunes, lay down and plop on a One Mango Tree eye pillow. These are sure to take you right from stress-face to bliss-land. Josephine and a handful of ladies worked on our Fall 2010 eye pillows today and we wanted to show you the making of.



The ladies measure and fill our eye pillows a sweet mixture of rice and organic herbs like lavender, lemon balm, marjoram



To be honest, I've never really had any sort of friendship with an eyepillow but when they were making these, I couldn't help but feel happy. I'm telling you, they smell good. I mean really good... in a subtle way.



When the size is right, they take them to the sewing machine for a last stitch...



On goes the One Mango Tree label and...



Voila! A sweet gift. Pick up a few and keep them around for a lazy day, a birthday, heck... any day! Always an excuse to relax and reflect. (P.S. Josephine stood so happily and patiently while I tested every tall stool in the workshop [and nearly fell to my death] to take this photo. We told you she's awesome!)

TGIF + Weekly Happenings (Sept 13th-17th)

1. Nassarine cutting fabric for a new fall order. Get ready, it's coming your way! 2. Each of our women receives a bicycle after 9 months of employment. Because many of them live in the villages miles away from our workshop, it's a tremendous help. 3. The ladies had their very first microfinance training with Stephen of Respond Renu. 4. We visited George and our friends/partners at Wawoto Cacel to see progress on the brand new fair-trade hand-loomed scarves we'll be launching for the Fall/Winter seasons!

It's truly been an INCREDIBLE week at the office. We're exhausted but full of hope. So many exciting things lie ahead. We're preparing booth designs for a handful of conferences and can't wait to get all our of new organic bags and apparel to your doorstep and into your closet. That's all! Expect lots more next week...

Love from all of us here in Uganda!

xo Lauranne

From the Workshop: New Program!

The women are exclaiming the most joyful laughs and we couldn't be more excited for them. Stephen, an Acholi and financial guru working for Respond Renu (Restoring Northern Uganda), is here for his very first microfinance training with our ladies and it's surely an exciting day. For six weeks, they'll be students again, growing in knowledge and expertise about how to become financial rockstars.

What's the impact of Financial Literacy? In the developing world, a woman who earns her own income in a male-driven society immediately earns social worth and respect; her community sees her as strong, powerful, and inspiring. That's how our ladies are viewed in their communities. Now take that same incredible woman and teach her how to save that money, how to give loans to others within her community, and how to forward-think about her finances. The impact of work in a developing country is multiplied exponentially when locals are able to take financial control of their future. This is a great, big (and possible!) dream for many of our women (remember Lucy's story?). It's an exciting day when their faces light up during a microfinance training. They're excited to learn and it's changing who they are and who they can become. The future for their children is getting brighter by the day. Powerful.



So, today, the women are beginning their very own Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), a microfinance group that comes together to pool their savings in order to have a source for lending funds. The women will make savings contributions to the pool and can also borrow from it. "VSLA represents a way to provide basic access to financial services, thus improving control over their future."

In the words of the awesome Adong Kevin... "The training was so, so nice! *gives thumbs up* You know, I'm dreaming to buy land and build a home someday soon. Stephen is going to teach us how we can do it... we are so happy."

It's a powerful day for the future of One Mango Tree. And friends, you're surely a part of this change. Let the joyful laughing resume and expect more updates soon!

From the Workshop: Organic Yoga Bags

It's hilarious trying to explain the concept of yoga to our women... mostly because it's just not apart of the Acholi culture. Someday soon, I really hope Halle can give all of us a big yoga lesson. It'd be the best day of my life watching them giggling, trying to contort their bodies in crazy positions. By the way, did you know that September is officially Yoga month?! We'll have WAY more on this topic headed your way but in the meantime...

Anena Betty was working away on this today! It's one of our new organic cotton Yoga bags (inside out and just about to be finished) that we'll be launching this Fall. We figured we'd give you, our beloved blog readers, a special sneak peak! Stay in 'downward dog' (that's a position right? halle's the expert...) and we'll keep you updated on its' release!



Can anyone say happy early christmas shopping for the yoga-loving friends in your life?!

xo lauranne

Steve Jobs: "How to Live before you Die"

In today's society, one that embraces being always on the go and pursuing the next best thing, we've learned that it's really valuable to stop and reflect on the beauty and simplicity of the stories that make up our lives. At One Mango Tree, it's what keeps us going; it keeps us patient and creative. Here's a fantastic, staple speech that Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, gave at a Stanford Commencement in 2005. It's brilliant and inspiring, absolutely worthy of sharing.



How do his words ring true in your own life?

TGIF + Weekly Happenings (Sept 6th-10th)

(1) Eunice working on one of our sweet new lunchbags (to be released soon!), (2) The opening of the *brand new* Little Mangos Nursery, (3) Tea time is a must, (4) Halle's headed to the big and much-anticipated Fair Trade Futures Conference in Boston, MA today!

Check out these kind words that the Conference wrote about us!

The ladies are OFF today for a public Ugandan holiday so the weekend begins early! Celebrate! Have a great weekend, everyone! If you're at the FTFC Conference in Boston, come say hello and sport the new OMT tie or headband that came in your goodie bag!

The day has come!

Since we began, Halle has dreamt of opening a nursery for the babes of our women and as of today, we're excited to announce that its' become a reality!




In a culture where most youth receive little to no educational attention, our vision is to create an environment that celebrates and encourages learning from a very young age. Our women can better spend their time working and enjoying one another while their babies are safe, away from machines of any sort. We were also able to hire a new One Mango Tree employee, Alice, who we'll affectionately call our 'superwoman.' She's single-handedly taking on all of the babes (and she's great at it!), playing educational games, and giving them a head start with speaking/writing in english and the local language. If anyone has an extra cape, can we borrow it?! We think she deserves one.



Seeing the doors open for the 'Little Mangos' nursery is certainly a day worth celebrating and we owe a big thanks to Halle's mother and father for all the dreaming and energy they put into this nursery! They painted hours upon hours of their visit so we could collectively make this a reality. Joe and Cona - a big thanks for all the hard work and love you both poured into this!

We hope you'll celebrate alongside us and I'm sure you'll see plenty of entertaining photos and videos from this nursery very soon...

Now that the women have less distractions, they'll have more time to sew your bag! Buy a bag and share the story, exponentially multiplying and spreading the One Mango Tree impact on the ground here in Uganda, in the states, and across the world.

xo Lauranne

Creating a Fair Trade Future

After a few years of getting One Mango Tree organized on the ground in Uganda, we're really excited to hit the pavement in the United States and spread the word about Fair Trade. I've just returned to DC and the calendar is already full of One Mango Tree and fair trade goodness. The first stop will be Boston, for the Fair Trade Futures Conference September 10-12.

Earlier this year, we were thrilled to get our acceptance letter to Fair Trade Federation - the leading organization of fair trade businesses in the United States. Every five years, FTF holds the Fair Trade Futures Conference - an enormous opportunity to bring together businesses, non-profits, advocates and individuals interested in fair trade - more than 750 people who are passionate about fair trade determining its future.

This year One Mango Tree will be there, both participating in the sessions and in the Fair Trade Marketplace which runs throughout the weekend. Participants at the conference will be receiving a One Mango Tree headband or necktie in the official goodie bag! I'll be reporting during and after the conference, so stay tuned!

xo Halle

"Go crazy!"

We made some time at a staff party recently to snap a brand new staff photo of the women!

So, we introduce to you the ladies of One Mango Tree: mid-laugh, mid-jump, mid-wave. All unique and beautiful women being changed by economic empowerment.




Top photo: (left to right) Prisca, Betty, Pamela, Margret, Grace, Gladys, Concy, baby Jonathan, Josephine, Grace, Irene, Eunice, Nassarine, Margret, Concy, Santa, Lucy, Betty, Margret, baby Maria, Claire, Jenet, Grace, baby Sarah, and Morine.

These are the faces of women that will sew your handbag with love.

P.S. Did you hear, yet? Tweet and spread the love to win a Weekender!