For those of you who have been following our blog, our first teddy bear shipment has finally arrived from Afghanistan! These bears are a part of Teddies For Two, the share-a-bear program that allows customers to buy two handmade teddy bears for just $28 - one bear is shipped to you, the customer, while the second bear is donated to a child living in a refugee camp or orphanage in Afghanistan. In many cases, your donated bear may be the first toy this child ever receives! (Wholesale pricing is also available, please contact One World Projects for details).

The bears are handmade by the Children and Women Education Fund (CWEF), a Kabul-based NGO that works with women living in Afghan refugee camps to create a marketable product. Besides earning a fair trade wage that

Looking for a healthy alternative to Christmas candy, or for a last-minute stocking stuffer? We’ve got you covered.

Yachana Jungle Chocolates from One World Projects are made of 100% cacao, sun-dried and sweetened only with a hint of Amazon cane syrup. Because these all-natural cacao nibs have none of the added ingredients, such as sugar or milk, found in regular chocolates, they make a healthy addition to ice cream, yogurt, trail mix, cereal, baked goods and lunches, in addition to being Vegan, Atkins and South Beach-friendly.

Handmade in Ecuador by Yachana Gourmet, a socially-conscious chocolatier that believes the future of the rainforest depends on the well-being of its inhabitants. Yachana Gourmet’s farmers pick chocolate beans from carefully selected cocoa trees, then

Tired of pinching pennies? These three little pigs won't rebuild our economy, but they will help an artisan put money in the bank.

Each porcine-shaped bank is handcrafted in the small artisan community of Quinua, in the province of Huamanga, Peru's central highland state. The area is known for its rich pottery-making traditions, with simple ceramics inspired by churches, houses, animals, and religious folkart made of all-natural materials through traditional processes. Artisans working from small home-based workshops begin by mixing clay with water, press it into molds and bake the pieces in a wood or gas-fired ovens to cure, before painting them by hand.

Use yours to save change for a rainy day, or teach kids the importance of saving while supporting the less fortunate through fair trade.

In Santa Ana, El Salvador, a small artisan group known as Uca Ruffatti is making handbags and purses from discarded car and truck tires, and keeping El Salvador's roads and ravines clean while they're at it.

Using the inner tube found inside the outer tire, or the part that hits the pavement, these resourceful artisans cut and style the salvaged material into a fashionable and funtional purse or handbag. With an exterior designed to withstand the elements, these accessories are perfect for traveling, yet hip enough for the streets of New York City.

But wait, there's more. Uca Ruffatti's eco-friendly line has gained so much attention in the United States that the producer-owned cooperative is making plans to double production by the end of 2009.

Owner Maria de los Angeles de Ruffatti