"{Be} a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world ..."Mother TeresaPhotos courtesy of LaTienda.ca
Okay! Here it is! The details many of you have asked, e-mailed or called about! You have all been chomping at the bit to help out with donations and we're finally at a point where I can list everything in detail for you. Here it goes! Bear with me! It's LONG!
What exactly *is* La Tienda: La Tienda is a fair trade co-op for women located in the Dominican Republic. The women create original designed items for sale such as beautiful jewelery, bags, candles, lip gloss, soap, paper and more. This co-op enables these women to provide enough money for rice and beans to feed their families everyday. Most of the women in the co-op have been rescued from prostitution or a lifestyle of poverty.
Why are you going to the Dominican?
They say a picture tells a thousands words.
My mission with this exciting trip is to empower women by telling their stories & the story of the La Tienda mission through honest and realistic images. I will spend one week in the Dominican village, photographing each Haitian woman, capturing their life in images that will then, in turn, extend their story to Canada and beyond where support will be raised. Basically, it's this - the more people that know about La Tienda, the more support is raised, more women will be rescued from the streets of Haiti and in turn will be educated, trained and given a new hope, a fresh start and a new life - not only for them, but for their children.
What will happen with the pictures you take?:
Literally, for those of you who are wondering, the images that I capture will be used in the following:
calendars
marketing publications of all sorts (brochures, postcards, etc.)
online website
fundraisers art showcases
and more!
Are you going alone?:
Yes and no. I am not going with any organization or affiliated missions groups - but I am praying that God will provide financial support for an assistant who will help me with the documentation, interviewing of the ladies, etc. and for general safety (as it is safer to travel in twos!). Someone has already been selected but we are waiting to see if the all the doors open for this person to travel with me.
Are you leaving your children behind while you go?:
Sadly, yes!! It is just not fair to drag them around the rural street of the Dominican at such young ages. I will miss my girls SO much, but I know they will be in good hand (grandmas are wonderful, aren't they?)
Who is paying you to go?:
No one. I am doing this strictly as a volunteer. I feel it is important to give to others and to use our talents to bless others and work for the Lord.
How can I help you help the ladies of La Tienda?
First off, keep us in your prayers! We are doing this for a great purpose, not for recognition or for press, but to genuinely help these ladies. Prayer support is coveted.
Ohhhh, this is the exciting part! I am accepting donations of all types that I can take to the women of La Tienda.
First off, we want to support the ladies in they do with their fair trade work. So when asking Rachel, the project leader, what would help them out hte most she said "CO-OP ART SUPPLIES!"
So, donations are GREATLY needed for the following:
beads - glass, silver, but nothing plastic, cotton fabrics, string (for jewelry making)
The ladies also love to wear pretty scarves, so Rachel suggested donations of the following:
pretty scarves (can be gently used, just make they are clean when you drop them off as a donation)
wrapped skirts (as I do not know the sizes of each woman)
Also MEDICINE will be greatly appreciated! However, all medicine must not be expired so please, please check the expiry date. (I have heard you could get thrown in prison if you bring in expired medicine! I really don't want to be blogging from a Dominican jail cell! LOL! Umm, not that they have high speed or anything ...)
So you can donate the following:
Tylenol
Any children's medicine/pain killers: Tylenol, Advil, etc.
Prenatal vitamins
Children's vitamins
alcohol swabs
anti acids
Selsun shampoo (used for ringworm)
cough syrup
bandages
Polysporin
toothbrushes and toothpaste
Any donated baby or small clothes will be wonderful - however, I have limited luggage space (hoping for 200 lbs.) so if you have baby clothes to donate, please e-mail me first at gillian@igiphotography.comand I will make sure to note who is donating baby clothes, etc. for the simple reason of making sure everything fits.
We also want to bless and encourage Rachel, the young woman who started this missions village. Rachel Sticklee, originally from Barrie, Ontario, is just young woman, but she has a mission and vision and she's working her butt off to help these women! God bless her for her efforts! She is also caring for two young children and working to adopt them, so she needs all the support, love and good vibes possible!
Pray about it and if you feel you are the one to help us encourage Rachel's spirits, please e-mail me at gillian@gigiphotography.com and I can assign one item that we have hand chosen to help out Rachel.
Suggested ideas:
an Ipod loaded with encouraging worship music
Personal devotional or reading books
Her favourite chocolate bar or treats (we're going to find out what she loves the most and let you know!)
A digital camera
I'm also looking for TWO rolling duffle bags:
Cc'mon, you sports-type-people! You know what I mean, right? I need these bags to carry all of the donations through the airport. If you have a bag that can hold up to 100 lbs and can be rolled, this is something I would love to borrow. That would so very helpful to me!
Where can I drop off my donations?:
You can drop your donations off at the studio - 12 York Street, Orangeville and at my husband's work, Dods & McNair Funeral Home, 21 First Street, in Orangeville. Ask for Abby (my husband) and just say it is for La Tienda and he will take your donations. I will have a donation bin to collect the items at both locations. (Do not worry! It's safe to visit a funeral home!)
The trip is slotted for late May so we lots of time to gather donations! Thank you ALL for your WONDERFUL, encouraging support! Be blessed!
P.S. LaTienda has a website and a facebook group! Check it out!
Awesome!! Great job, Gillian, of letting us know what "this" is all about. Now, let's get busy!!!
Mom xo
Posted by: Brenda | March 04, 2009 at 12:26 PM
This looks fantastic Gillian...you will definately have my prayers! I'm so excited that God put this idea into your heart! Bless you!
Posted by: Becki | March 04, 2009 at 01:05 PM
God Bless you, Gillian and the women of La Tienda! My prayers go with you!
Posted by: Angela Galashan | March 04, 2009 at 01:30 PM
Hey Gillian, I have two rolling suitcases, one really big one and one you could use as a carryon...
Posted by: Annette | March 04, 2009 at 02:02 PM
I am going to share this with some co-workers and speak to my principal and see if we can gather some materials needed from student donations from my school. What do you think? If you want one item to be collected let me know which one is MOST needed!
I WANT to help!
Posted by: Rose | March 10, 2009 at 06:00 PM
Rose, how awesome! Thank you! I think the most needed is art supplies - ie. beads for jewelry making - as then the ladies can make money off what they create. Thank you again!
Posted by: Gillian | April 01, 2009 at 11:09 AM