Obama Bracelets: A Profound Story of Hope

The Obama bracelet was born in the hearts of some very special women in Ruai, Kenya. Initially, this energy of hope was awakened with the start of a new micro-lending program called Hope Bank. The inspiration for this project and the funds to carry it out are provided by members of the philanthropic for-profit enterprise, Humanity Unites Brilliance.

Watch this inspiring three minute video about the women from the Masai and the Kukuyu tribes who, once enemies, now work side-by-side to bring hope to the world.

Thirteen single mothers were living in extreme poverty, without a means to take care of themselves or their families. With the microloan, these woman began creating beaded crafts to sell in the fair trade HUB Global Marketplace. Each woman’s personal story is one of tragedy, loss and struggle; but they continue to step forward each day with great faith, profound hope, and a guiding dream of something better. When these women were asked to bead the word “Hope” into a bracelet, they instead interpreted this to mean “that which brings them hope” and Barack Obama was that person. He symbolizes great hope for the Kenyan people who describe him as a “son of the soil."

Kongelo, the Obama's impoverished ancestral home in western Kenya, is a remote Aids-ravaged, dirt-poor hamlet of brick houses with corrugated iron roofs, where barefoot children, goats and hens roam free. Kenya's president, Mwai Kibaki, declared a public holiday on Thursday November 6^th, in honor of Obama's election victory. When Barack Obama Jr. was born on Aug. 4,1961, in Honolulu, Kenya was a British colony, still part of the United Kingdom's dwindling empire. As a Kenyan native, Barack Obama Sr. was a British subject whose citizenship status was governed by The British Nationality Act of 1948. That same act governed the status of Obama Sr.'s children. President Elect Obama's Kenyan citizenship automatically expired on Aug. 4,1982, when he turned 21.

Not only is this historic Obama bracelet a great memento of an extraordinary new beginning for the United States, but the purchase of one bracelet can fund a microloan that helps a woman create a life, and a community of women succeed together. This bracelet of profound hope helps these struggling women put food on the table and books in the hands of their children. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for these bracelets to be handmade and shipped to you, as the demand for them is as great as the hope that they offer.

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Putting Humanity Back Into Business: The HUB Global Village

Wouldn’t you love to buy coffee that helped build water catchment systems in a once contaminated village? Wouldn’t it feel great to purchase a necklace, knowing you just provided the funds for a woman in Africa to receive AIDS medication? Baskets, earrings, cards, handbags, coffee, shea butter skin care products, tablemats, candles, carvings and quilts are just some of the products you will find in HUB’s Global Village.

Fair trade is a catalyst for putting humanity back into business. This means that the worker is paid a fair living wage that can provide education, health care, and nutrition for them and their families. When you buy fair trade products, you are buying goods where "bottom line" was not the only consideration. Cultural identity is preserved and tradition is held sacred. Men and women are seen as equals in the workforce giving women an important voice in their community and in the global economy. For example, a tribe of Masai women living south of Nairobi, in Kenya contribute beautiful beaded jewelry, belts and coasters using funding from a HUB microloan. Each purchase supports the rescue of Masai girls from forced marriage and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), and contributes to their education and the subsequent support of an entire village.

Need a perfect gift to show your friends that they're important in your life? Choose an exquisite carving from one piece of soapstone, of friends whose arms are joined together, and support a fair wage for soapstone miners throughout Kenya. These artisans mine the soapstone using simple tools in an area called Kisii. The earth around the stones is returned and after several years the mineral deposits begin to form new stones. Each item is hand carved, sanded and then polished to a lustrous finish. Headed by strong, determined women, the carving groups employ over 1000 artisans. One leader, Pauline Ntombura, was the first girl in her family of 20 brothers and sisters to learn to read and she not only provides consistent, fair wages to her employees, but also ensures their living conditions are decent and helps them meet their needs for health care and their children's education.

The HUB Global Village showcases innovative, wonderfully-crafted products unlike anything you can buy in a store. Some are produced in small villages around the world and some by HUB’s Impact Partners like Youth Action International, a youth run organization established to promote and implement programs aimed at making the world a better place for children and future generations. You can now purchase these fair trade products, making a positive impact on the world and saying “yes” to a planet that puts people first.

Buy Fair Trade Christmas Ornaments: Give Joy Back to the World

You can decorate your tree this year with beautiful ornaments and feel the extra blessing of knowing your purchase has contributed to sustaining our earth and struggling third world communities. Instead of putting mega-manufactured plastic things on your Christmas tree, choose to adorn it with of one of a kind, hand crafted items that positively impact the lives of others. The HUB Global Village now stocks several fair trade Christmas ornaments.

Choose a bell, nativity scene, or stocking made from the tagua nut. These nuts are sustainably harvested from the forest floor when the cabeza containing the nut ripens and falls. Each tree contains several cabezas and it may take 3 - 8 years for the cabeza to fully mature. In Ecuador, the nuts are then skillfully carved by artisans into figurines, key chains, Christmas ornaments, jewelry and boxes. As animal ivory has become almost extinct, tagua nut, also known as "vegetable ivory, has become a highly valued commodity by both artists and consumers. The history of the use of the tagua nut is of interest. Before the introduction of inexpensive plastic buttons, about 20% of buttons manufactured in the United States were made from tagua nuts. Many ecological groups have been instrumental in increasing the number of major companies who are once again using tagua for buttons.

Fairly traded gourd Christmas ornaments are also hand-made by artisans in the twin villages of Cocha Chicas and Cochas Grandes, Peru. Choose a gourd decorated with the Dove of Peace or the beautiful image of One World Friendship. Over 2000 years ago, gourd vessels were elaborately etched for in scenes that told stories, the latest news or ancient legends. Now, the only area where this tradition survives is in these twin cities. Gourds are available in a variety of sizes, so artisans usually contract with growers for a certain approximate size in the sowing season, October. The gourds are ready to be worked the following June. The sun-dried gourd is trimmed and washed, readying it for decoration. Decorations are carved, etched and burned into the gourd. After a gourd is decorated, it is washed again, and then dried further in a kiln or over a flame.

Decorate your tree with an angel, bell, star, stocking or tree carved from coal and help keep young men and boys from dangerous conditions in the coalmines of Columbia. The land surrounding the small mining community of Morcá, has been degraded from years of mining. This situation has left few economic alternatives for its inhabitants. Young men and boys work in mine shafts that have only rudimentary support infrastructures and unsafe conditions. In 1995, the Colombian government established a workshop to train boys how to carve figurines and jewelry from coal, hoping that revenues generated from craft production would provide an alternative to working in the mines. Unfortunately, the workshop has not yet reduced the need to work in the mines. Help increase the market for these products and help brighten their lives. This Christmas season, you can hang the hopes and dreams of a better world on your tree, and enjoy them for years to come!

Fifteen Fun Facts about Honey and Honeybees

1. Bees have been producing honey for at least 150 million years.


2. To make one pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit 2 million flowers, fly over 55,000 miles and will be the lifetime work of approximately 300 bees.


3. Honey is the ONLY food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water.


4. A typical beehive can make up to 400 pounds of honey per year.


5. Honeybees never sleep!


6. Out of 20,000 species of bees, only 4 make honey.


7. Honey bees will visit between 50-100 flowers during one nectar collection trip.


8. A honeybee can fly approximately 15 miles per hour.


9. Honeybees are the only insects that produce food for humans.


10. Honeybees have five eyes, 3 small ones on top of the head and two big ones in front. They also have hair on their eyes!


11. Bees communicate with each other by dancing and by using pheromones (scents).


12. Bees produce honey as food stores for the hive during the long months of winter when flowers aren't blooming and therefore little or no nectar is available to them.


13. A cave painting depicting an androgynous figure robbing honey out of the hive was found in the Cave of the Spider in Valencia, Spain. It is estimated to be 15,000 years old.


14. Honey stored in air tight containers never spoils. Sealed honey vats found in King Tut's tomb still contained edible honey, despite over 2,000 years beneath the sands.


15. A queen is the largest bee in the hive. She can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day, twice her own body weight per day.

Live a Happier, Healthier and Tastier Life with Nature’s Wonder Product!
Discover The Amazing Uses & Benefits Honey in The Honey Book
THE HONEY BOOK: The Many Uses of Honey

Honey Health Benefits: Ten Sweet Discoveries

Since ancient times honey has been valued not only as a deliciously sweet golden nectar but for its health benefits.

1. Valuable Nutrition: Honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, copper, iodine and zinc. Honey contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 and several kinds of hormones in amounts which change according to the qualities of the nectar and pollen.


2. Antioxidant: Research indicates that honey contains numerous antioxidants, depending largely upon the floral source of the honey. Darker honeys are generally higher in antioxidant content than lighter honeys and have been shown to be similar in antioxidant capacity to many fruits and vegetables on a dry weight basis. Antioxidants are compounds found in cells that 'mop up' free radicals, the damaging byproducts of normal metabolism.


3. Skin and Beauty: Honey is chock full of moisture binding humectants containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids, which are wonderful beauty aids that nourish the hair, skin and the body. Honey can be used on just about every body part and is sometimes used to soften scar tissue and encourage the growth of new skin. Honey is rich and thick, making it an effective moisturizer.


4. Weight Loss: If you are trying to lose weight, honey can be of great help to you. Common refined dietary sugars in our food supply lack minerals and vitamins and are called empty calories for this reason. They need nutrients from our bodies in order to metabolize our cholesterol and fats. When our bodies lack these nutrients, metabolism is impeded. On the contrary, honey contains 22 amino acids and a variety of minerals essential for its metabolism and therefore helps you in reducing weight.


5. Insomnia: Honey can help you sleep. Eating honey raises your blood sugar level slightly. This results in a controlled increase of insulin, which then causes the amino acid trytophan to enter your brain. The trytophan is converted into serotonin, which promotes relaxation. Finally, in the pineal gland, with the aid of darkness, the serotonin is converted into melatonin, a well know cure for sleeping disorders. Honey also contains the ideal 1:1 ratio of fructose to glucose making it a super food for glycogen storage. Sufficient glycogen storage is necessary for restful sleep. When your liver runs out of glycogen at night, your brain starts to trigger stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin to convert protein muscle into glucose.


6. Coughs: Several studies have shown that buckwheat honey is as effective as over-the-counter cough suppressants. Parents frequently report that it helps children the sleep without coughing all night. Honey is remedial in cases of persistent coughs and sore throat. The strong antibiotic properties it contains coats the throat and reduces irritation. Note: Pediatricians do not recommend giving honey to children under 1 year of age because of the risk of botulism spores.


7. Wound Healing: Honey has been used in wound treatment since ancient times. Raw honey makes a sterile, painless and effective wound dressing. Apply it directly to open cuts, abrasions and burns, and cover it with a piece of gauze. The results will occur quicker than with conventional alternatives, such as salves and creams. Current interest in medicinal honey focuses largely on its antibacterial effects. Other areas of study are concerned with how honey may help the body remove dead tissue and provide a favorable environment for the growth of new healthy tissue.


8. Hair Conditioner: Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and holds on to water molecules, making a great treatment for dry, damaged hair. To feed your hair and scalp, mix honey with an equal quantity of olive oil, cover head with a warm tower for half an hour then shampoo off. Or add a tablespoon of honey and oil to your conditioner, let penetrate for 20-30 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Despite its sticky texture, the honey treatment will rinse easily from the hair, as long as you are using equal parts of honey and oil.


9. Stomach and Digestion: The enzymes present in honey aid in digestion of food, especially raw sugars and starch. The difference between common sugar and honey is that, the sugars contained in honey are predigested by the bees and can be quickly and easily absorbed in the human digestive tract. Thus it is quite useful for digestive disorders. Honey can help to heal ulcers and upset stomachs. It has also been proven to regulate intestinal function, alleviating both constipation and diarrhea.


10. Improve Athletic Performance: Ancient Greek athletes took honey for stamina before competing and as a reviver after competition. Honey is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting performance, endurance and reducing muscle fatigue. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy. and is especially useful in fitness for energy and stamina.

Enjoy the many benefits of honey. Visit Bentley's Honey Store.