International Day of Charity
This month here at Uneeka we are celebrating all the wonderful charities that we support. With September 5th being the International Day of Charity what better time to recognise all the brilliant things that the following charities do. Each week we are using our displays across our stores to recognise & celebrate: ARTHOUSE Unlimited, GoodWeave and Child Rescue Nepal.
ARTHOUSE Unlimited are a charity that is all about art! They represent a group of artists who live with complex neuro-diverse and physical support needs, working alongside instructors they create artworks which are then developed and designed into products for sale. Offering a sense of purpose lies at the heart of ARTHOUSE Unlimited’s philosophy. They believe that feeling truly respected improves happiness, health and overall well-being. ARTHOUSE believe in changing perceptions and being inclusive, they strive to create a better acceptance of people with complex support needs and physical adversities and encourage social inclusion.
As well as these efforts, ARTHOUSE Unlimited products are carefully sourced and primarily produced in the UK, using the highest quality materials and ingredients. Wherever possible they use natural products and ensure that as much packaging as possible is recyclable and/or re-useable. Click here to view their website and find out more about their talented artists.
You can find a variety of products created by the artists in ARTHOUSE throughout our Life stores in Truro and Falmouth and on our website; from soaps to chocolate to greetings cards.
GoodWeave is a non-profit organisation working to end child labour in the carpet industry. Through a system of inspections and monitoring they set a standard for suppliers and productions facilities to meet in order to get a GoodWeave label. This label certifies that no child labour, forced or bonded labour was used in the making of a product, and that workplace conditions are documented and verifiable.
Not only do GoodWeave work to change the underlying causes of child labour and rescuing them from this situation, they also promote safe environments and fair wages for adult workers, which leads to happier healthier lives and a higher percentage of children in education.
Aside from carpet weaving, GoodWeave has been expanding its work into other global industries, for example apparel, jewellery, brick making, tea, and others. Click here to visit their website and read more about their work.
You can find GoodWeave-approved rugs and cushions across our stores, whether its one of our Life stores or at the Home store. All products that have been approved have the label shown certifying the ethical source!
Operating since 1999, originally under the name 'The Esther Benjamins Trust', Child Rescue Nepal rescues and cares for vulnerable children. Their initial intention was looking after children from Kathmandu prisons who had been jailed with their parents and rescuing children who had been trafficked across the border into Indian circuses, they would bring them back into their homeland of Nepal. Their work has led to 24 prosecutions of the traffickers and a complete ban on Nepali children in circuses.
With the change of their name in 2015 to more clearly reflect the work that they do, Child Rescue Nepal now work with local police to raid suspected factories and restaurants where children are held captive and forced to work against their will. They then house them in safe houses and provide them with food, clothing, help with their education and give necessary medical attention and counselling until they are able to be reunited with their families. This is only possible if the charity are certain that they are going to a home and an environment where they cannot be re-trafficked and they then continue to follow up and check in on the families and children.
In our Life stores there are a range products with the Child Rescue Nepal label, from Tie Dye Scrunchies to backpacks to a collection of hats and gloves. You can read more about the projects that they are currently undergoing on their website and the ways that they continue to prevent child trafficking here.
Over in Cafe Uneeka you can also find a couple of new additions to our range of soft drinks. Created by the Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Hamburg, their aim is to contribute to the social, economic and ecological structures in the Global South. They focus on areas that have been negatively affected by the structures of the global economy. They believe that these problems can be solved with the economic freedom of the people living in these regions, which is why their work focuses on building up their resources. This Foundation sees the importance in placing responsibility and ownership over the implementation of projects with its local partners and focus on supporting entrepreneurial and income-generating initiatives to promote economic independence.
The sponsorship from the sale of the Lemonaid and ChariTea drinks has thus far been the most important source of funds for Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation. Visit their website to read more on the fantastic projects they are currently working on here.
Here at Uneeka we pride ourselves on sourcing our products from ethical and reputable sources so when you shop with us you don’t need to compromise on style to shop ethically. View our charity collection here to view our range of products that contribute to the ARTHOUSE Unlimited, Child Rescue Nepal & GoodWeave charities.
Other notable charities that we support can be found across the bottom of our Home page on the website, including Cornwall Wildlife Trust and First Light.
