Lucina sources jewelry components from artisan communities around the world: hand-faceted fluorite from Afghanistan, polished seeds from Colombia, hand-carved tagua from Ecuador, and exquisitely detailed sterling silver beads from Bali. Women produce 80% of handcrafted products worldwide, so Lucina is linked through our trade to these talented women. Lucina’s mission is to transform this trade into an engine of benefit for women and children around the world. In accordance with this mission, Lucina sources from ethical fair trade importers, and also partners with non-profit organizations to effect positive change in communities worldwide.

 

Today, Lucina partners with Women for Women International, the Women's Edge Coalition and Hands to Hearts International. Read about these inspiring organizations below:

 

Women for Women International

 

Women for Women International works with women survivors of war in conflict zones around the world to help them rebuild their lives and move from victim to survivor to active citizen. This groundbreaking organization has received extensive press and recognition for its work, including the 2006 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world’s largest humanitarian award.

 

In Afghanistan, women and children bear major burdens of the war that continues there. Despite significant advances since the fall of the Taliban, women continue to face discrimination and extremely limited opportunities. Women for Women International's programs support and propel women to be creators of a peaceful future for the country. Program graduates participate in several income-generation programs, including a jewelry workshop, which provide a safe, peaceful way to earn a living. Many of these women are war widows, and the sole providers for their families.

 

Lucina purchases fluorite gemstones hand-carved by graduates of the Women for Women Afghanistan programs, providing direct economic benefit to these women. Lucina then incorporates these lovely stones into an array of jewelry designs, and donates a percentage of all fluorite jewelry sales to Women for Women International's vital and life-giving work. Shop Lucina’s Women for Women International Collection to make a difference in the lives of Afghan women today. Learn more about Women for Women International at www.womenforwomen.org

 

Women’s Edge Coalition – Global Opportunity for Women Campaign

 

The Global Opportunity for Women Campaign is a movement to inspire Americans to take action on behalf of the world’s poorest women. The campaign urges Americans to purchase products from socially responsible corporations who treat women employees fairly, to write Congress to support economic policies that benefit poor women in developing countries, and to donate funds to support the Campaign’s powerful advocacy. The Global Opportunity for Women Campaign is a project of the Women’s Edge Coalition, the country’s leading non-partisan voice shaping US policy to benefit poor women worldwide.

 

Countless inspiring stories illustrate how the organization’s work has transformed lives. For example, Eva Garcia is a 74 year old grandmother, businesswoman, and former president of her community bank. Unlike most elderly women in poor countries, Eva does not depend on her children for her basic needs. Instead, Eva’s community depends on her. But before becoming a client of Opportunity International, Eva had limited income, derived from selling tortillas. Thanks to her loans, she expanded her business and now sells 500 tamales a day. Eva is the founding member of her Opportunity International Trust Bank group-lending program. She has served as Trust Bank president, as treasurer and as a member of its board of directors. Now a respected leader and a leading voice in her community, Eva says, “As long as God gives me life, I'm going to continue in the bank.”

 

Lucina is proud to be a fair trade partner in the Global Opportunity for Women Campaign, and donates a percentage of sales to benefit this important work. To learn more about what you can do to support the campaign, visit www.goforwomen.org.

 

Hands to Hearts International

 

Hands to Hearts International (HHI) programs nurture children and empower women around the globe by training low-income women to provide individualized, nanny-like care and infant massage to babies in orphanages. The results are immediate and dramatic: improved physical and emotional health for infants and toddlers at the most crucial window in their development, and economic independence and pride for women who previously faced extremely limited education and opportunities. HHI’s simple and highly cost effective program is given away to dozens of orphanages and foster care programs via locally certified HHI Trainers with the intention of establishing a model for excellence in orphan care on a global scale. Learn more at www.handstohearts.org

 

HHI and Lucina were both founded in 2005 and are both headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Recognizing an alignment of purpose and commitment early on, Lucina has philanthropically supported HHI’s work with numerous in-kind and cash donations. 

 

Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity, or to reduce infant and maternal mortality. No other policy is as sure to improve nutrition and promote health – including the prevention of HIV/AIDS. 

 

– Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations