LUTINDZI GIFT BOXES

Lutindzi Gift Boxes

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: SOUTH AFRICA

Three gifts in one...can it be done? With these beaded baskets from Gone Rural it certainly can. The first gift is a living wage for the woman who wove the basket by hand. The second is the basket itself, a work of artisan craftsmanship made with lutindzi grass from the savannahs of Swaziland. The third? Put inside. Anyone would love to receive a gift wrapped in this colorful basket that can function as a jewelry box or desk accessory. One gift, three times the impact!

5" x 2 ½"

CRAFTED BY GONE RURAL

Gone Rural is a Swaziland-based company that is committed to empowering rural women, alleviating poverty, and supporting AIDS orphans. The seven hundred women who work for Gone Rural apply traditional techniques to hand-create culturally distinct Swazi products using locally available and sustainable natural resources. Most women use the native lutindzi grass, which is dyed and woven by hand into baskets, mats and other items. Other women shape, polish, and fire clay vessels to be used in the home or in traditional ceremonies such as weddings or funerals. In addition to the vital employment the company provides, Gone Rural's non-profit arm offers an AIDS education program, pays school fees for AIDS orphans, and serves as a community advocate for better government services such as the provision of clean and safe drinking water. Currently, each woman that works for Gone Rural is supporting an average of eight children, and in most cases, Gone Rural provides their only source of income.

Fair Trade Products: Global Goods Partners