Back in August 2007, the residents of Penjaringan in North Jakarta experienced a devastating fire. The fire erupted below a toll road, destroying the makeshift homes that had developed below and causing major damage to the toll road itself. The issue of how the area beneath the toll roads should be dealt with has long been a contentious issue in Indonesia. These areas often become garbage dumps and crime-ridden areas. The residents of Penjaringan have decided to take an active role in their community. On the UN-designated World Habitat day, citizens and government officials met to discuss the future of the space below the toll road. Together, they considered various proposals on how best to deal with the 500 meter long stretch of land. Since January, Mercy Corps and the Development of Community Under Elevated Road Group have worked with the people to get an understanding of what is really desired by the community. The general consensus is that the area should be a public space for education, so that kids may have an open space to learn and play. Clearly, the destructive fire of 2007 can not compete with the fire in the community of Panjaringan to recreate the space, in a more beautiful and constructive way. http://www.globalgoodspartners.org/detail/news.cfm?news_id=54&id=92

Global Goods Partners (GGP) works with community-based organizations all over the world, including organizations in politically sensitive areas. One such organization is the Karen Women's Organization in Thai Burma. The Karen Women's Organization, in association with GGP, is empowering women to participate in political and peacemaking efforts and promotion of gender equality. The organization provides health and education access to women living in refugee camps. This amazing story is one you have to see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/user/globalgoodspartners

The name “Rann Kala” translates to “art of the desert” but to the women of the Kutch district of India it translates to opportunity, empowerment and social advancement. Rann Kala, one of Global Goods Partners newest Community-Based Organizations, was founded in response to the destruction caused by the 2001 earthquake in Western India. This earthquake damaged an already weak economy in a rural, arid region. Historically, the people of the Kutch region have worked primarily as semi-nomadic cattle herders and subsistence farmers but this way of life has become increasingly difficult to maintain. Many of the men have left this rural region to obtain employment in the cities, leaving the women to look after large families. When you add in the fact that many of the ethnic groups within the Kutch region make up some of the most discriminated against groups in India and that cultural stigma prevents women from leaving the home to look for work, you come to understand just how important an organization like Rann Kala really is! The beautiful thing about Rann Kala is that it provides women with skills training and product development assistance so that they are able to generate an income.  The benefit of this is two-fold: they gain the respect of their family and community based on their ability to provide and they feel empowered travel outside of their homes. The craft production also gives these women the funding to send their children to school. The process of craft production not only provides a livelihood to a marginalized population, it maintains an age-old art form and gives the world access to the art of batik. Batik is a meticulous fabric-dying technique, which results in intricate, unique prints. Rann Kala, with the help of batik, has made an imprint on the people of the Kutch District. To learn more: https://www.globalgoodspartners.org/template/producer.cfm?cbo=4845

Life is not easy for the over 4 million Internally Displaced People (IDP) of Colombia, but life is even more difficult if you happen to be an indigenous woman. In a country engaged in a 40-year drug war, violence is widespread and opportunities beyond the drug trade are few. Opitagua, one of Global Goods Partners’ Community-Based Organizations, is making a difference in the lives of the people of Neiva by providing training in a sustainable and alternative livelihood.  Neiva is a city of 400,000 with a large community of refugees.  Opitagua provides training in handicraft production as well as in merchandising, commission, sales and other business skills, so that the work can expand to help even more families. The materials used for the crafts are purchased locally, thereby supporting enterprise in the community. The artisans of Opitagua use the tagua seed to create jewelry and various other crafts. Tagua is a nut that comes from a type of palm tree found in South and Central America. Tagua is generally harvested once it has fallen off the tree and after animals have consumed its edible exterior. When polished, this white, carve-able nut makes a foolproof, sustainable substitute for ivory. For the women of Opitagua one thing is for sure, when you plant a tagua seed, opportunity grows. Get to know the women of Opitagua and their alpaca artistry: http://www.globalgoodspartners.org/template/producer.cfm?cbo=4835

“El Hombre Sobre la Tierra (HST)” is one of Global Goods Partners newest Community-Based Organizations. This organization is located in the Yucatan and provides assistance to Mayan women---arguably Mexico’s most marginalized and restricted people. The practice of embroidery has a long history within the Mayan culture and thanks to “El Hombre Sobre la Tierra” cultural preservation and increased rights for women go hand-in-hand. This organization provides women with transportation and a means of earning a living in an environment where women are generally barred from even leaving the home.   HST also provides Mayan women with small irrigation plots so that they can compete with men in the male-dominated agriculture industry.  These women are taught sustainable agricultural practices, replacing the damaging practice of slash and burn agriculture. In addition to providing economic opportunities HST is in the process of opening a community center, which will empower women to participate politically in the Mayan Community. Wow, talk about a top stitch! http://www.globalgoodspartners.org/cbo/HSLT/