Documentaries that Make you Think

Net flicks has some great documentaries that focus on world issues and the environment.  It can sometimes be more effective seeing something visually than reading about it in a book or the news. I finally got around to watching "The Age of Stupid" it really touched me as it featured the struggles of people living in countries that get a lot of negative press but we rarely see their side of the story. 

This is something I feel I can better relate to after living in Rwanda, you would hear news reports about the country but often it didn't fully match what was really happening.  It seems that the media and politicians feel that it is so far away, their captured audience will never figure out the real story.  That being said while most of you probably heard about this movie back in 2009 I didn't as films like this rarely reach most of Africa.


Although I found the movie profound and moving I did feel like something was missing.  When I googled some reviews on the movie to see what others thought I came across an article written Steven G. Brant for the Huff Post, he helped me realize what it was about the documentary that felt a little off.  The movie makers focused on all the bad things we do instead of looking at the ways in which we can fix our situation "they made this error because they don't see that world peace and global warming are connected. Like most people, I suspect they see the world as having many, separate problems, each one having its own, separate answer". I couldn't agree more especially since this philosophy is what Cause and Effect is based on, we want to help the environment but just as importantly give those who do not have access to fair wage employment an opportunity to better their lives and find their way out of poverty.  The answer cannot be to stop using everything and go back to how we lived a hundred years ago, if that is our strategy it will never happen, it is in our nature to develop.  Instead lets find new ways of doing things, purchasing products that you know and trust where they came from, by switching your purchases to more environmental and ethical products you are driving this market forward and more and more businesses will start to think about how and where their products are manufactured, driving innovations of new environmental materials and technologies.

Heart Shopping Bags from Ineza Cooperative

When Sasha first embarked on her journey to Africa she was put in contact with a small women's cooperative in Rwanda. It was here in Kigali, she fell in love with the work she was doing.

Ineza cooperative is a small sewing group, comprised of 25 HIV positive women. The cooperative creates high quality bags, jewelry and home decor products. It is through this business these women are able to make a fair living wage, support their families and offers a communal support system and a sense of personal well being. Sasha found the most rewarding part of working at this cooperative was seeing first hand how the confidence grew in each woman she worked with. With the skills she had learned through school in Toronto she was able to teach these women better sewing skills, how to read and create patterns and most of all how to build their small sewing group into a successful cooperative. These women went from being shy and vulnerable to confident in themselves and their future. While working at Ineza many of these women learned to speak English, learned new skills and have grown into managerial roles at the cooperative.

It empowers the women, knowing they can support their families, educate their children and continue to build the cooperative. Selling products that are made by people who are treated and paid fairly gives not only one woman hope for the future but it allows them to build a better future for their family and community. Being able to provide food and education for their children creates a foundation to build lasting sustainable peace and development in their local communities.

Our Heart Shopping bags all come from the Ineza Cooperative. They are created by using African Wax Fabric which was purchased at local markets in Rwanda. Each bag is sewn by one of the 25 women using foot powered sewing machines. The heart really symbolizes the love that these women put into each and every piece they create. We love these bags for their practical use and beautiful prints. When zipped closed, in the shape of a heart, they are super compact fitting in almost any purse, bag or backpack making it easy to always have with you. When opened into the bag it's the perfect size for those on-the-go, last minute purchases that we all make throughout our day. Best of all, it helps to eliminate the use of those pesky plastic bags.

Check out our Heart Shopping Bag at www.causeandeffectshop.com and help support the HIV positive women at the Ineza Cooperative.

Inezas Cooperative leader Epiphany hard at work making beautiful bags