There a few special souls that truly give their heart to bettering the world. Here at Dear Keaton, we count Joelle McNamara of Badala one of them. Not only do we feel privileged to offer the handcrafted products from Badala, we are honored to share this company's inspirational story behind their good works. Joelle's journey began at the age of seventeen during her first trip to Africa, where she was struck with the realization that millions of people were perishing due to not having enough to eat. While there, Joelle befriended women who were prostituting themselves just to feed their children. Instead of asking for hand outs, everyone she met was looking for opportunities. As she once said, “My friends aren’t looking for a handout. They’re looking for a leg up.” It was at that moment the high school senior decided to make a change. Badala which means 'instead' in Swahili is creating opportunities for these women to release them from their circumstantial prisons. "Badala is giving them opportunities ‘instead’ of prostitution, begging, abuse, etc.” says Joelle McNamara. The simple request for employment and the idea of empowering women to create their own sustainable future is the foundation which the handcrafted product line is built upon. As a non-profit, Badala provides both emotional and financial recovery to women fighting their way out of poverty and abuse. They are gainfully employed by Badala and are required to maintain a savings account for a future investment of their personal choice. Each woman creates financial/business goals and the organization educates them on how to run a small business and to start their own future ventures. Today the sales profits from their handcrafted goods help provide market access and business education to women artisans across the world. Each purchase helps to see the end of poverty and sex trafficking. Learn more about Joelle and this amazing organization in the video below:  https://vimeo.com/38612372 SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave