New 2010 Fair Trade Card Launch
San Francisco – Greeting cards are opening the path for a new beginning. Women who have escaped prostitution in the Philippines are now handcrafting cards for Sanctuary Spring, a new line of beautiful, handmade, fair trade greeting cards that is launching this July.
Loran*, one of the new cardmakers, found herself in prostitution at the age of 15. Her mother died when she was nine and her father had abandoned Loran and her nine siblings. “I wanted to continue my studies, ” says Loran, “but I had to start thinking about ways to earn money to support my younger siblings.”
Loran is now gainfully employed making Sanctuary Spring cards as part of a holistic restoration process operated by a local charity. With extremely limited job options in the Philippines, this work provides a critical source of income for the women in the restoration process because they still need to provide for their families.
This new work is also empowering the women and restoring their dignity. “Making the cards brings out my creativity,” says Aiza, another cardmaker. “I focus wholeheartedly on the work because it is not just about making a card, but making something beautiful.”
Sanctuary Spring is being launched by Good Paper, America’s premier provider of fair trade greeting cards. Leading graphic designers in the United States conceptualized the cards, and the cards incorporate handmade paper, which the women also produce. Says Good Paper founder Jimmy Quach: “We’re proud to be launching our latest line of fair trade, eco-friendly cards. And we’re especially grateful for all the retail partners committed to making this line a success. It’s this partnership that is creating hope and opportunity for these women.”
With this newfound hope, Loran can now imagine a better future. “I dream of my two daughters finishing school,” says Loran. “I encourage them to dream big. For myself, I hope to manage a small store.”
A preview of the card designs will be available mid-May at www.sanctuaryspring.com.
About Good Paper. Good Paper is America’s premier distributor of handmade, fair trade greeting cards and stationery products. Good Paper is the exclusive home of Cards from Africa (featured in O Magazine, Newsweek, and The Today Show), a greeting card line which creates jobs for young people in Rwanda who have been orphaned by genocide or diseases like AIDS. This spring, Good Paper is launching Sanctuary Spring, a new line of cards helping women who are escaping prostitution in the Philippines to build new lives for themselves. Good Paper is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, and is committed to fair trade principles, including strong wages, protection of children from labor, and environmental sustainability. For more information, go to www.goodpaper.com.
*Names in the Sanctuary Spring line have all been changed to protect the identities of the women involved.
