RARA carries on!

Today while reading my friend Kevin's blog, I learned that the business, RARA, that she nurtured from the ground up in Haiti, and sold shortly before the earthquake is alive and well in Haiti. I can't tell you what hope that gave me. Many of you recieved RARA as Christmas gifts, the year before last. I was an avid support of RARA and all it stood for in Haiti.

In Haiti, RARA bands often roam the street in times of celebration, utilizing found materials to make a variety of instruments. Kevin used this concept of using found materials to create bags from trash, and jobs for needy women in Haiti.  Purchasing RARA  bags promotes sustainable projects and artists in need in Haiti.

Kevin also shared a link to own of her U.S. RARA importers, Tesoros Trading Company, who is selling RARA bags and now promoting a new program to help local artisans in Haiti called Hearts for Haiti.

I truly believe that art in Haiti is one of the things that could revitalize the Haitian economy. The vibrancy of their art in every form still astounds me. Support Haiti and the creatives that pour themselves into art every day.

Buy a heart for Haiti, and generate a donation to the HAND/EYE Fund's artisan grants program supporting Haiti artisans in their struggle to rebuild their lives and businesses in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake.

Hand-carved river stone hearts from the village of Cormier, located in a rural zone just east of Port au Prince, represent the best link between Haitian artisans and the distant markets they must reach to earn a living. HAND/EYE Fund, through its Austin, Texas importing partner, Tesoros Trading Co., offers employment to the carvers by buying the hearts from them. The proceeds from sales of the hearts go to the HAND/EYE Fund's artisan grants program in Haiti - which offers small cash grants to artists and artisans who need to rebuild houses and workshops, replenish tools and raw materials, and gain access to design input from the markets in which they are trying to sell. 

The HAND/EYE Fund supports skilled artisans in their struggle to earn decent livelihoods through preservation of ancient traditions, innovation of new ones, exploration of new markets, and educating the consuming public about the cultural and economic importance of their work.