2022 Month-of-Giving: GoodWeave International

When I first learned about the astonishing number of children in the rug industry as young as the age of 4 not only being put to work but working under conditions that were hazardous and dirty, I had a deep conviction to do something about it.  But I was constantly battling with the question - what can I do?  I am only one person and my company is still so small.  What difference could I possibly make?

And then this little story shined a bit of light.

"A terrible fire had broken out. All the animals were running away, including the lion, the king of the forest. Suddenly, the lion saw a tiny hummingbird rushing toward the fire. He asked the bird, “What are you doing?” To the lion’s surprise, the bird replied, “I’m on my way to extinguish the fire.” He laughed and said, “How can you kill the fire with just one drop of water in your beak?” The bird was adamant and said, “But I am doing my bit.” ~ Indian folktale recounted by Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

Kailash Satyarthi started GoodWeave 27 years ago to tackle the issue holistically, starting from the supply chain end.  He started the Satyarthi Children's Foundation to engage children and young people as part of the solution, build collaboration between governments, businesses and communities, and ensure effective national and international laws.  In 2021, his organization provided relief to 9 million+ people during the second wave of COVID-19 in India.

I know that the difference Rugs by Roo makes today is just a drop in the bucket.  Our Month-of-Giving campaigns are far from where I envision them to be to make the level of impact I want to make.  But I know that by introducing the awareness at the consumer level, we can start to shift shopping behaviours to drive the initiative and the support needed to bring down those numbers.  This is the reason we host Month-of-Giving campaigns at Rugs by Roo. 

For the month of January 2022, we will be donating 10% of our profits to the GoodWeave International organization in support of anti-child labour practices.  If you are already a customer, THANK YOU for your ongoing support and for contributing to our mission.  Please tell your friends and family about GoodWeave to help generate awareness. 

For those who are not yet customers, thank you for arriving on this page and dedicating your time to learn more.  You can find more information on GoodWeave by either visiting their website or our blog posts.