A couple of months ago we blogged about a recent grant from Global Goods Partners to one of our groups in Swaziland, Gone Rural. The project is coming along, and we thought you’d like to hear an update on how it’s going. Gone Rural’s ready to start the drilling and installation of water pumps this week and will open them for use in early October. Here’s an account of her experience visiting the project site from Julie Nixon, the head of Gone Rural:

Yesterday I went to visits Lavumisa 1 and popped in to see Lav 2 along the way. After our talk and prayers two women asked me for a lift back. One had a very sickly 18-month-old little boy who has suffering with vomiting and diarrhea, I am guessing that he is sick from dirty water.

In the car I had a bottle of water, which I gave to his mum. He lay with his head on her breast not even suckling but he seemed interested in the blue bottle.

His mum gave him a sip of the water and the look on his face was incredible. This may have been the first time he had ever drunk clean water

It was like he was drinking nectar.

By the time we reached Mata he had drunk about a quarter of the bottle and was sitting up, holding the bottle himself. I even got a radiant smile.

It brought home to me again that we should be more grateful. Clean water for all of us is a concept that we take for granted. Please can we push water up our agenda and make it a priority.

It may save lives in the future.

Have you ever wondered what YOU could do change people’s lives at home and around the world? Well, here’s one idea. Phoebe Kimmelman of New York decided to sell sets of Global Goods Partners’ fair trade lacquered bangles from India to raise funds for portable DVD players for patients of Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Center. She also got Warner Brothers Studios to donate a DVD library. On Wednesday, August 31^st, Phoebe got a Congressional Certificate of Recognition from District Representative Gracey Stoddard to honor her work with the Dubin Breast Center. Great work, Phoebe! And look at those beautiful fair trade bangles everyone is wearing in the photo below. Buy yours here>> Do you want to figure out a fair trade project you can do to change people lives in your community and abroad? E-mail us at info@globalgoodspartners.org Pictured, from left to right: Dr. Charles Kimmelman; Mrs. Mikey Kimmelman; Gracey Stoddard, District Representative; Phoebe Kimmelman; Dr. Gabrielle Goldberg; and Dr. George Raptis

Finally, a fundraiser you can feel good about. Tired of cookie dough and wrapping paper sales? The time is now to revitalize your School’s Fundraising Program. With budgets being slashed, raising money has never been more critical to ensure that vital academic and extra-curricular programs remain in place. Global Goods Partners' Fair Trade/Eco-Friendly fundraiser offers unique and tasteful gifts--including jewelry, baskets and bags--made by women artisans in the developing world. We offer three different ways for you to raise important funds while supporting families in the world's poorest countries. SIGN UP HERE>>

Global Goods Partners' collaboration with Bpeace to distribute handmade soccer balls from Afghanistan was featured on CBS's The Early Show this morning. Read the full article here >> What better way to foster team spirit and friendship than with handmade, fair trade soccer balls? Afghan women have been renowned for centuries for hand needlework. Now the women of DOSTI, meaning "friendship" in Dari, have harnessed that heritage to handcraft club-quality fair trade soccer balls. Each ball is sturdily hand-stitched using 32 panels of highest quality synthetic leather producing soccer balls with superior bounce and shape. Bearing DOSTI's signature Doves in Flight pattern, each fair trade soccer ball purchased provides meaningful employment for Afghan women. DOSTI is a Bpeace project. Buy the balls at www.globalgoodspartners.org>>

Many of our partners are deeply engaged in human rights work on the ground. WEAVE, our partner on the Thai/Burmese border recently sent us updates several humanitarian crises in the region. Here are two recent updates from the Executive Director of WEAVE (www.weave-women.org): Dear all,