Love Is Project does more than just source jewelry from all over the world! Every product that we sell helps female artisans gain financial independence, educate their children, feed their families, access healthcare, and more. We are proud of the fact that everything we sell is handmade from artisans around the world. Our original beaded LOVE bracelets are made in Kenya, our tagua heart bracelets are made in Ecuador, and our Zodiac bracelets are made in Indonesia. We are even prouder that a significant portion of the sales from these products goes directly to our 2,000+ partners and helps them invigorate their communities.
This Earth Day, to celebrate those who have made Love Is Project what it is, we want to highlight how our artisans are combating the climate change effects in their communities and fighting climate injustice with the revenue they have earned through Love Is.
Climate Change’s Impact on the Emerging World: Environmental Injustice
While climate change issues are being experienced by nearly everyone across the world, climate change is impacting some regions and peoples more than others. Specifically, the developing world suffers from environmental injustice at a higher rate than developed nations. Because developing nations lack the resources and the infrastructure to fight against the effects of climate change, they are the most vulnerable to the impacts of global warming.
Of the 124 million people worldwide who are acutely food insecure, 76% have been affected by extreme climate change effects. More than half of those who live in developing countries live in rural areas and are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, which means that any one of the climate disasters brought on by climate change could harm vital crops and livestock.
The World Bank estimates that the impacts of climate change could push an additional 100 million people below the poverty line by 2030. The cost of climate change-related disasters has cost, on average, $520 billion globally and is pushing about 26 million people into poverty a year. A study done by Stanford found that climate change has worsened income inequality in developing nations by 25% since 1960.
2020 was one of the hottest years on record, and the entire world experienced increased hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other climate disasters. And because of the pandemic, relief efforts to help those impacted by climate disasters have been hindered. The combination of worsening climate disasters and the pandemic has caused the cost of damages to rise by 20%. The consequences of climate change are only going to increase and hurt those in developing nations who are already vulnerable.
Fighting Climate Change with Love
Some of the artisans that Love Is has partnered with are using their income from making bracelets to help their communities fight climate change impacts. We think it’s amazing that these women are leading the charge in battling environmental injustice!
Nabiki, Esther, and Ngilyian are star beaders from Kenya who live in arid areas of the country. They are pastoral nomads, which means that they migrate depending on where the best food and water resources are for their animals. But in the last few years, worsening drought has made it extremely difficult for Nabiki, Esther, and Ngilyian to provide for their families. Here are their stories of hard times, resilience, and how Love Is Project is helping them achieve climate justice.
Nabiki Lesuper is a star beader from the Kalama Conservancy. During periods of drought, her community has had to move to far places away from their normal residency in search of water. When her family falls on hard times, she sells the milk her animals produce. Nabiki laments that when she sells the milk to support her family, the small children who are dependent on the milk for nutrients suffer. To attract rain, Nabiki and her community tried planting grass, but the soil was too dry for the grass to grow. Her community hopes that one day they will have the materials to drill for water and irrigate their land. With the revenue earned from Love Is Project, Nabiki has been able to support her entire extended family with food, school tuition, and medicine. She says that the LOVE bracelets that she is making for Love Is “taught me to spread love to my family, friends and the community.” We are so proud to be partnered with you, Nabiki!
Esther Gilisho is a star beader from the Il Ngwesi conservancy. She is also a single mother with seven children to support. She says her community feels the effects of climate change heavily, and because of the drought, they have to migrate to other areas to find water. The children in the community are forced to drop out of school until they are able to return to their normal area of pasture. Like Nabiki, Esther wants to learn how to drill for water and plant the right kind of trees to promote sustainability in her community. The income from Love Is Project has allowed Esther to provide for her family in times of drought when there is no water for her livestock. Making bracelets during the pandemic when work has been slow has especially helped bolster her savings. She says that she’s been able to learn “the importance of love through those bracelets with our families, friends, and the entire community.” We appreciate all of the hard work that you do for your family, your community, and Love Is Project, Esther!
Ngiliyian Lokorukoru is a star beader from the West Gate Conservancy. She supports two households with a combined nine children. The inconsistent rain has made it difficult for her children to get a stable education, because her community has to move to wherever the water is for their livestock. Like Nabiki, Ngiliyian’s community has unsuccessfully tried to plant grass to curb the drought. She says that an invasive plant called Acacia Reficiens covers 90% of their land and heavily contributes to soil erosion. It also pushes water deep underground. In order to fight this and environmental issues, Ngiliyian is asking for help in eradicating Acacia Reficiens so that her community can plant environmentally friendly trees. During the pandemic, Love Is Project has enabled Ngiliyian to continue supporting her family. She says that “The message in the bracelets taught us to love one another during that challenge time.” Ngiliyian, we love and admire your resilience!
Making a Global Impact
If you want to help make an impact in communities across the world that have been hit hardest by climate change, consider purchasing a LOVE Bracelet, handmade by our global partners who will earn a significant portion of that revenue. The consequences of climate change are very real and felt by people all over the world. By purchasing one of our handmade bracelets, you will be directly helping people like Ngiliyian, Esther, and Nabiki fight for climate justice.
Besides supporting artisans in Kenya with community projects, Love Is Project is helping fund a recycling initiative in East Java, Indonesia. Due to the amount of trash in their village, mother-daughter duo Made and Ita decided to clean up the waste and start a recycling program. Made and Ita’s recycling center has created 12 jobs, bolstered the local economy, improved the environmental quality of the community, and encouraged community members to keep the village clean. We are going to keep donating proceeds to Made and Ita so that they can continue being eco-warriors, so take a look at our Bali seed bead bracelets!
In addition to supporting artisans who are fighting against climate change, Love Is Project has also partnered with the Green School in Bali. The Green School is an eco-focused school dedicated to teaching children about sustainable agricultural practices and helping them become the ecological leaders of tomorrow. Love Is Project and french designer Claudie Pierlot have partnered to raise awareness about the Green School and contribute its success. The collaboration was even featured in Vogue Paris! 100% of the proceeds from our original red LOVE bracelet, our white and gold seed bead LOVE bracelet, and our Unity pink and yellow beaded bracelet from our collaboration with European brand, Claudie Pierlot, goes towards the Green School. Learn more about the initiative here!
Looking for eco friendly gifts to limit your ecological footprint? Check out our collection of bracelets with limited environmental impacts.
Want to learn more about our amazing artisans? Check out our Impact page to read more about the efforts we’re making to spread love around the world!
If you’re interested in learning more about the consequences of climate change and environmental justice, make sure to take a look at this article.