ORNAMENTS for Joy

EXPERIENCE ALL THE FUN AND MERRIMENT OF CHRISTMAS KNOWING YOU ARE HELPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.

- Anne Brink

Want to experience the childlike fun and merriment of the Christmas season also knowing you are helping to make a difference in the lives of people around the world? Looking for ornaments that are fun, traditional, merry and bright? You need look no further than Ornaments 4 Orphans.

BOLD BEGINNINGS

Founder and CEO of Ornaments 4 Orphans (O4O), Scott Laslo describes the beginnings of the for-profit, fair-trade social enterprise dedicated to providing critical support for orphans and vulnerable children in Africa: “In 2010, my wife, Jamie, and I started O4O out of our love for Christmas and our passion for helping others.” O4O offers well-crafted handmade holiday products that express simple joys, unique designs, traditional offerings and whimsical delights.

The company sells handcrafted products made by artisans in Kenya, Uganda, Peru and Nepal, and the proceeds are invested back into the communities where they “work to provide jobs, fight poverty, encourage sustainability, keep vulnerable children with their families and prevent them from becoming orphans,” according to the O4O website.

Fair trade and charity are both part of the picture. One of the main tenets of the fair-trade movement is to provide artisans with a living wage “by paying a fair price for the goods we buy and then market and sell here,” says Scott. “By sustaining the artisans and their families … we are able to transform communities and see generational change to systemic problems. We also utilize charity (giving back a portion of our profits) to help at-risk families stay together and children get proper care and education.”