OneWorld, a budding student group at Tufts, hosted a crafts bazaar on Friday, uniting student organizations and international nonprofits in an effort to raise awareness about global poverty and women's importance to the development of poor regions.
The group brought 12 nonprofit organizations to campus, according to junior Moises Cohen, its founder. The event boasted free food from local, immigrant−owned restaurants; fair trade gifts for purchase; and performances from Colombian musicians and Tufts' Kiniwe ensemble, a Ghanaian drumming group.
Cohen explained that through selling global, fair trade crafts, OneWorld sought to raise awareness about development solutions and promote student involvement in fighting global poverty.
"We wanted to capitalize on the potential for positive student action and create solutions to poverty, either through on−campus social justice initiatives or off−campus ones," Cohen said.
Over 30 student groups set up tables at the bazaar, seeking to inform students about their causes and how to get involved. Building Understanding through International Learning and Development; Conversations, Action, Faith and Education; Tufts' Arab Student Association; and Engineers without Borders were among the student organizations that participated.
OneWorld will donate all proceeds from the bazaar to Aadhar, a microfinance program held under Women for Human Rights (WHR), a non−governmental organization that works to empower Nepalese women. Aadhar and WHR provide financial support for single women seeking to establish their own businesses, according to Cohen.
"We picked WHR because they try to change the infrastructure in Nepal in order to empower women in many ways, one of which is through microfinance, and provide a truly holistic approach to battle an issue" Cohen said.
Tufts' Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) has pledged to match all of the bazaar's profits, doubling the amount that will be donated to Aadhar, according to Cohen.
OneWorld on Wednesday night hosted a talk by Tryfan Evans, director of the Omidyar−Tufts Microfinance Fund, as a preface to the bazaar. The bazaar and Evans' talk mark the first two events the group has ever hosted.
OneWorld was founded earlier this year on the idea of peace and collaboration in a local as well as global context. Cohen said the importance of having such a group came to light especially after the Mumbai terrorist attacks last November.
"The idea that we live in one world, we are the same and we must collaborate is what our group dedicates itself to," Cohen said.
Cohen explained that the theme for the bazaar was inspired by an article from New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof on the importance of empowering women in alleviating global poverty.
OneWorld member Christine Kim, a senior, felt it was important to unite all of the event's participants behind a shared goal.
"We wanted a sense of direction, a common theme, and a common cause that would bring student groups together," Kim said.
OneWorld sought to feature nonprofit organizations, such as Voluntour Morocco, that benefit women artisans around the world.
Nabil Slimani BenSalah, founder and executive director of Voluntour Morocco, told the Daily that his goal is to build a "database of honest nonprofits in Morocco" that help women through rural economic development.
BenSalah's booth on Friday featured paintings by Fatema Mellal, a Moroccan woman who teaches art classes to children who cannot otherwise receive any such education in their local villages.
"Every show, we try to portray a woman doing extraordinary things in disadvantaged situations. The goal of Voluntour Morocco is to directly connect the people buying these products and the amazing people like Fatima making a difference in their local communities," BenSalah said.
Cohen said that Voluntour Morocco's mission reflects OneWorld's goal of finding creative, multidimensional ways to combat poverty and empower women.
Kim noted that along with raising awareness about innovative development solutions, OneWorld also sought to encourage collaboration between student groups during the bazaar. "We reached out to everyone," she said.
According to Kim, the group was pleased with the attendance at its first bazaar.
"We are really excited to provide a good opportunity for students to get involved in internships or volunteering aimed at tackling poverty and helping disadvantaged women," Kim said.
Kim said that OneWorld hopes to make the crafts bazaar an annual event and continue its speaker series.
