Monday, March 29, 2010

Awava @ Women's Work ~ A GaDuGi SafeCenter Benefit



Please join Awava on Saturday, April 17th at The Lawrence Arts Center (940 New Hampshire)for a show to benefit the GaDuGi SafeCenter and their efforts in Advocacy and Support, Prevention Education, Outreach and Social Change to end sexual violence.

The event titled Women's Work will feature local Women artists, writers and performers and will begin with a 7pm reception with drinks, deserts and arts and crafts in the lobby and the performances will begin at 7:30pm. A donation of $10 is suggested and proceeds from arts and crafts sales will also benefit GaDuGi SafeCenter.

Awava is particularly happy to be involved in events such as this because it helps to attain our goal of a more symbiotic relationship between the United States and Uganda. Vulnerable populations in Uganda are given the opportunity to help vulnerable populations in the US which is a beautiful thing.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Awava @ Honeytree Gallery's First Fridays Art Market!



Awava will be featured at Honeytree Gallery's First Friday's event on 2 April 2010! Please join us from 6-9:30pm at the Honeytree Gallery~504 E. 18th Street, Unit 102 in Kansas City, Missouri in the Crossroads Arts District.

Founding Director Kate von Achen will arrive from Uganda 24 hours before the event and will be available to answer your questions and talk about Awava!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

International Women's Day!


International Women's Day is an occasion to celebrate the achievements of women irrespective of their ethnic, racial, religious, political, or other cultural differences. It offers everyone involved in governmental, non-governmental, and personal efforts to promote women's rights and gender equality a chance to stop and assess the great progress that has been made. From the inaugural Women's Day celebration in the United States on February 28, 1909 until today, countless doors have been opened and glad ceilings broken to afford women access to markets, politics, and greater autonomy within their own communities.

The occasion, as it is currently celebrated, dates back to the 1910 Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen, that honored the women's rights movement and hoped to build support for universal women's suffrage. Over one hundred women from seventeen countries attended the Copenhagen Initiative meeting, three of whom were subsequently elected to be the first females to serve in the Finnish Parliament. The following year, more than one million men and women attended rallies on March 19th in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland in which they demanded universal suffrage, women's rights to work and to vocational training, and an end to discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

This holiday has also served as a mechanism for resisting larger executions of violence. In 1913 and 1914, International Women's Day was the occasion for transnational protests of World War I. It was also the day chosen in Russia in 1917 on which to hold the famous 'Bread for Peace' strike, after which the Czar abdicated and the provisional government finally granted women the right to vote. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, feminist Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday in the Soviet Union. While originally a working day, the USSR declared it a non-working holiday by national decree in 1965. Currently, the day is an official holiday in over thirty countries including Angola, Belarus, Mongolia, Poland, and Uganda. In many others, such as Cameroon and Romania, the day is not a public holiday, but is still widely observed.

This celebration grew to become a global day of recognition and celebration in developed and developing countries alike. It has expanded in locations and numerical involvement each year until the United Nations declared 1975 to be 'International Women's Year' and gave official sanction and began sponsoring International Women's Day events throughout the world.

These events work to shine a light both on the successes of the women's movements and the progress yet to be made. While there are now female astronauts and legislators, chemists, and college professors, there still exist a multiplicity of restrictions on women's success including the inferior status of women's education, health, and protections from violence. It is important to take this holiday to reflect both on how far we as a world community have come in the quest to assure all individuals equal rights. But this day should also serve as a rallying point from which we can progress together into an even brighter future.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Awava @ Honeytree Gallery's First Fridays Art Market!



Awava will be featured at Honeytree Gallery's First Friday's event on 5 March 2010! Please join us from 6-9:30pm at the Honeytree Gallery~504 E. 18th Street, Unit 102 in Kansas City, Missouri in the Crossroads Arts District.

Awava will be joined by:

Kate E. Burke, Embroidery and Watercolors
Nancy Burke, Knitwear
Emily Eakes, Embroidery
Larissa Wilson, Butternut Squash
Mandy Durham, Fine art
Christie Mann, Metalsmithing
Sarah Wertzberger, Recycled panniers
Kitty Reese, Clothing and Artwork
Danielle Meister, SHI SHI Brand hair pins
Miss Van Dyne leather goods
Traci Furan, Little Bluestem Baby (one of our favorites!)

Awava's Newest Wholesale Client ~ The Community Mercantile!



The Community Mercantile is a member-owned cooperative grocery store located in Lawrence, Kansas (my home). "The Merc" specializes in natural, organic foods with a focus on local and sustainable products.

In December while I was home, I had a chance to sit down with various managers of this wonderful grocery store (which I had the pleasure of working at during my undergrad) where we decided Awava products would be appropriate for various departments within The Merc! I cannot tell you how excited I have been about this partnership. The Merc has been in my life but also my mother's for decades! My mom has been a member since the 70's and used to work as the herb lady fulfilling her member duties in the 70's. During my vegan days it was the only place I could find special treats such as Tofutti ice cream bars. Delicious! And NOW my company's products are being sold at The Merc! How perfect is that?

The Merc was kind enough to feature Awava in their March Newsletter, officially launching the Awava line in their amazing store.

For those of you in and around Lawrence, please check out our products and let us know what you think! And buy some delicious tofutti and enjoy it for me. Tofutti hasn't tapped the Uganda market yet.