The Trade Justice Mission

This organization provides hope, one piece of jewelry at a time
公正貿易使命團 這個組織透過一件件珠寶交易,為人帶來希望

Two overseas trips changed American couple Eric and Susan Rosenberg forever. During a year in the Philippines, the Rosenbergs helped women who were victims of human trafficking. Then two years later in 2008, Eric traveled to Zambia, where he worked with women who were HIV-positive. The trips exposed the Rosenbergs to real people who were facing real-life crises. These experiences prompted the couple to do something to help the world's women in need. Returning from Zambia, Eric started the Trade Justice Mission (TJM), a nonprofit, Christian organization. The organization helps women by training them to make and sell jewelry through cooperatives (co-ops), TJM now has co-ops in Zambia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines. 

How does it work?
Susan designs most of the jewelry. TJM buys and sends the needed materials to the co-ops. Women work in small groups and create the beautiful pieces. The jewelry is then sold by volunteers in the U.S. under the Okoa Jewelry line. One hundred percent of the profits are returned to the women. They keep half of the money, allowing each woman to make around US $50 a day. The rest is kept in the co-ops, and each one uses its money in different ways. Some groups have bought chickens and pigs, and some have peanut butter businesses. Most people in these countries earn US $1 a day. The money from TJM provides the women with a way out of poverty.

Providing hope for the women
Jimmie from the Philippines has worked in the red-light district  since her teens. But now TJM has provided her with a possible escape from her old life. Mariyati from Sumatra comes from a very poor family with seven children. They couldn't take care of her, so she had to go to an orphanage. Mariyati says, "I am hopeful that being part of the Okoa Jewelry co-op will open up more opportunities for me." That's what the Rosenbergs hope for needy women everywhere.

Trade justice mission
The women in our co-operatives last year were making between $50-$70 a day on the project. If they could get work in their own countries, most of them would be making in between $1 or 2. So they can make more in a day than they could make in a month. So the money that they earn is paid to them, both individually and collectively as a group, so they have to take that money  and re-invest it into some other ways to make money. 

Many of us give to churches, we give to organizations,but unless you put in places of structure that allows those people to take care of themselves, they can never escape poverty. The people that we work with are not looking for a hand-out, they are looking for a hand-up. The people in the co-ops are just like me, they just happen to be born in a different place. They have the same goals, the same desires, they are just as intelligent, it's got nothing to do with any of that, it's just because they were born there and I was born here， it's the difference.

And we at Trade Justice Mission believe that we have to do everything we can to help lift up people into a sustainable life. Nobody wants, they don't want to get inch, they just want to eat. They just want their kids to go to school. And that's what okao jewelry allows them to do, is live safely outside of exploitation, to be able to say no to the pimps, and no to the brothel owners, to hold your head high and say "I can lead this lifestyle". 

And it's liberating. But beyond just the money that they are making what the beautiful thing to watch is that the women seem to experience healing in making some beautiful jewelry. When you watch them, they get together at the table and they're making the jewelry and they're putting together something beautiful that they have never been able to do before in a culture that's often sometimes diminishes women and their value, and then they get to try on the jewelry. It's transformational to watch a woman from beginning to end, as she enters the co-op and at the end of the training when she is now economically empowered, she's made some money, she's made beautiful art, she's felt valued and it happens no matter what part of the world I'm in.

What I've learnt was that if you feel that the only thing you have to sell is your body, that's what you sell. and nobody is buying anything else. And that has to make God weep. And  it makes me weep to know that somebody could get to a point where they think that's all they have to do. That's the only thing they could ever do. And we at Trade Justice Mission believe that we need to do whatever we can  to empower people to be able to take care of themselves.

"www.okoajewelry.org"

Grammar Tips:
The trips exposed the Rosenbergs to real people who were facing real-life crises.
"to expose somebody to something" - to have somebody to have chance to experience something.
The two month summer camp exposed the city kids to life in the mountains.
The young boy has a good sense of rhythm because he was exposed to music at a very young age.
It is unfortunate that the children in this neighborhood are exposed to crime at such a young age.

Vocabulary Tips:
"co-op" - cooperative.
cooperative (co-op) - a group of people work together toward a same goal.
human trafficking -buy or sale human body, trading human body for sex or slave. trafficking refer to buy or sale goods.
mission - special assignment.
prompt -they are in spite to do something.促使，激励，引起。
*The scandal prompted the mayor's resignation.
*The trip to France prompted the girl to study fashion design.
prompt (adj)-立刻的，马上的。
*Our customer service department always gives prompt responses to customers' inquiries.随即回应顾客的询问。
"HIV - positive " - positive -阳性的， 带源的，呈阳性的
*He was tested positive for hepatitis B. 检验出带有爱滋病毒的。
positive/ negative -阳性/阴性。正面/负面的
*His blood type is AB negative.AB阴性
nonprofit - "non" -没有，否定的。 "profit" -利润，
*This nonprofit organization held a banquet last week to raise funds for African refugees.
*Nathan works in a nonprofit and often goes on trips.
poverty - being poor in living that have been lack of comfort. 贫困的，贫穷的。
poor -lack of something, pitiful. 贫穷的，可怜的。
*People in the inner city usually live in poverty.
*Half of the town's population lives under the poverty line.
*the poor girl hasn't eaten for days.
escape - a way out of something.逃离，逃脱，逃避。
*He saw this bet as an escape from his debts but ended up losing more money.
*The thief made a quick escape from the crowd.
escape (v)-逃离
*These children escaped from the kidnappers during the night.
take care of (someone or something).-looking after , provide something, giving out support.照顾，处理
*My sister used to take care of me when my mom went out to work.
*You should take good care of your health.
*I will take care of the bill.
red-light district - an area that had illegal trading business going such as human trafficking, drug or sex business activities etc.红灯区。

Word/ idiom Tips:
jewel / jewelry -宝石/珠宝首饰。
jewel- precious stone such as emerald 绿宝石，翡翠 ruby 红宝石, amethyst 紫水晶, opal 蛋白石are gem, are jewel.
setting - come out some shape, or add the jewel on the bend or ring.镶坎，镶上，镶在珠宝，首饰上。。
jewelry - is something that can wear, adornment.可配戴的首饰。
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"The" -定冠词。
***多数名词要在名词前加定冠词
The Philippines -菲利滨群岛国。
The Bahamas -巴拉马群岛
The Netherlands -荷兰。
***大多数的国家多是单数名词,不加"The" -定冠词, 如：
 America, Japan, China, Germany, Mexico....，不加"The" -定冠词
***但是用国家正式名称时，要加"The" -定冠词 如;
The People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国。
The Czech Republic. 捷克共和国。
The United States of America.美利坚共和国。