The Villager Feb.-April 2014 Crowchild store - 220 Crowchild Trail NW - Ph: 403-270-0631 - Email:[email protected] Heritage Store - 8318 Fairmount Drive SE - Ph: 403-255-0553 - Email:[email protected] INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 IVEP Volunteer in Calgary 2 Gifts for Valentines and Easter 3 4 Calendar of Events and Fundraising Updates Artisan Story – Atelier de Formation et de Promotion des Artisans Education Opens Doors for IVEP Volunteer After several months of living and volunteering in Calgary, Josué Coulibaly still marvels at how nice people are to one another. “They seem to have love and respect for each other,” says Josué. He’s even more surprised that Calgarians respect traffic signals and actually stop at red lights. He says he doesn’t see that much back home in Burkina Faso. Twenty-six-year-old Josué is in Calgary as part of the International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP), a vocational and cultural exchange program run by the Mennonite Central Committee. Until July, he will be volunteering at Foothills Mennonite Church and at the Ten Thousand Villages store on Crowchild. At a recent volunteer event, Josué spoke about his life and his plans for the future. Future Plans Include Sharing a Love of Learning Born in a small village in the west African country of Burkina Faso, Josué now attends university in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou, studying French, which is the country’s official language, and English. “Today, I’m the only one who continued my studies,” he says, noting all of the people he went to school with in his village quit school long before they finished high school. Josué was able to continue studying thanks to help from his older brother. Now, he wants to be a high-school teacher to help instill a love of learning in other young people. Continued on page 4 The Villager Page 2 Fair Trade Gifts of Love We have a beautiful assortment of handmade cards and gifts for Valentine’s Day. Here are a few of the many ways you can show your love to the people you care about. For Her . Bubble Up Earrings - $24 – These earrings have transparent blue glass beads that dangle from an oval hoop. They are handcrafted by artisans in India. Blooming Paper Necklace - $29 – The mutlicoloured flowers on this necklace are . created from rolled, recycled newsprint by artisans working with a job creation program for women in the Philippines. Zigzag Silver Earrings - $75 – These slim silver earrings display a geometrical pattern. They are handmade by artisans in Niger who specialize in traditional . Tuareg handicrafts. Desert Morning Tuareg Earrings - $85 – These earrings feature elegant pendants and a hand-worked silver design in the tradition of Tuareg ceremonial jewellery. . Circle of Love Necklace - $165 – This pendant necklace is handcrafted from iridescent natural shell and sterling silver by artisans in Niger. . . For Him Play It Again Sculptures - $12 – These charming creations are made from recycled bike parts by artisans in India. Choose from a guitar, saxophone or keyboard player. Re-Cycle Sculpture - $54 – Handcrafted using recycled metal, this desktop sculpture features a functional pulley on the back wheel. This unique gift is made by artisans in Burkina Faso. 100-Year Calendar - $24 – This calendar is made of brass and features a . moveable wheel with months, years, dates and days of the week for next 100 years. Made by artisans in India. . Wine Goblets – Toast any occasion with our elegant Fair Trade goblets made from onyx ($44) or hand-blown Phoenecian glass ($38). . Gifts to Celebrate Easter When Easter arrives, Spring can’t be too far behind. So when you visit our stores to pick up your special Easter gifts and delicious Fair Trade chocolate, check out our wide assortment of ceramic pots and planters. Celebrate Your Special Events with Our Gift Registry Create your own Wedding Registry with Ten Thousand Villages and choose the Fair Trade gifts you’d like to receive on your special day. Our Gift Registry is also great way to celebrate other important occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. Register online at tenthousandvillages.ca. Page 3 The Villager Calendar of Events Is your group or organization interested in a partnership event? Call our stores for details. Heritage Store Crowchild Store Stay up-to-date on upcoming events by connecting with us through social media. Special events April 12-13 The Garden Show 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Spruce Meadows Store closure dates Family Day – Feb. 17 Good Friday – April 17 Store closure dates Family Day – Feb. 17 Good Friday – April 17 Regular store hours Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Friday-10:00 am – 8:00 pm Saturday - 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Sunday - Closed Regular store hours Mon. Tues. Wed. Fri. 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Thursday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Sunday – Closed Fundraising Updates Supporting MCC Typhoon Relief Efforts Over $4,700 Thanks to you, our generous customers, Ten Thousand Villages Canada will donate over raised for MCC Typhoon $4,700 to help people affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. On November 20, Relief efforts in the stores across Canada and the United States donated 10% of sales from online and inPhilippines store purchases to the Mennonite Central Committee’s typhoon relief efforts. Giving Help to People in Need The 2013 MCC Christmas Giving Program (formerly Living Gifts) featured five development projects, providing a range of services and supplies from sewing machines in Cambodia to wells in Bolivia. Customers at the Crowchild store purchased gift programs valued at over $27,500 and Heritage store customers bought gifts totalling nearly $16,300. Feeding Hungry Children at Home Our holiday fundraiser, Give an Angel, Feed a Child, supported Breakfast for Learning, a charity that provides nutrition programs for school-aged children in need in Canada. For every capiz angel decoration sold, Ten Thousand Villages donated $2 to the program. Stores in Canada sold 1,531 angels, raising a total of $3,062. Heritage store manager Angela Riether (left) with Breakfast for Learning (Alberta rep.) Kristen Wilson. The Villager Page 4 Artisan Story – Atelier de Formation et de Promotion des Artisans Fair Trade at Work In Burkina Faso In Burkina Faso, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) West Africa works with more than 400 artisans from 20 workshops in and around the capital city of Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, the economic centre. Sissao Hamidou, a master artisan himself, is a colleague of MCC and acts as a liaison with artisans. “Since receiving orders from Ten Thousand Villages, the artists feel they have a new life,” Hamidou says in the video, From the Fire. You can learn more about the artisans of Burkina Faso by watching the video on the Ten Thousand Villages Canada YouTube channel. New video: The Idea That’s Changing the World See how Fair Trade works and find out how one person can make a major impact by choosing to purchase Fair Trade products. Watch our new video today at www.youtube.com/user/VillagesCanada. From page 1 Sharing a Love of Learning “I would like to become a teacher to give more importance to education. In Burkina, many go to school and they don’t know the importance, and the government doesn’t have a good program for education.” Education has already opened doors for Josué, including the opportunity to participate in IVEP. “I think it’s going to take me to a good place because the people I live with and work with is helpful for me. I’m also practicing my English, so that’s a big part of my experience here. It will maybe open another opportunity for me to be helpful in my country.” “I just want to leave behind my love – my love and my smile – to let people know there are some people in another country who also have love in their heart and want to share God’s love with other people.” ! Connect with us online to get the latest news on all our events and special promotions. You can also help us spread the word about Fair Trade by posting a store review on our social media pages.