Simpson and Indianola communities were given an opportunity to invest in their world and shop fair trade during the Ten Thousand Villages Festival. The festival was held Nov. 26 through Nov. 30 in Smith Chapel and the BSC.

Shoppers were able to discover hundreds of handcrafted musical instruments, baskets, ornaments, toys and jewelry made by skilled artisans in more than 30 countries. The handicrafts are marketed by Ten Thousand Villages. Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to artisans around the world by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. All proceeds from the RLC sale benefit Ten Thousand Villages artisan partners.

Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization and a program of Mennonite Central Committee. MCC is a relief, service and peace agency of the North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches and is headquartered in Akron, Pa.

Simpson’s Ten Thousand Villages market is only one of a few offered in Iowa. For more information on Ten Thousand Villages, visit www.tenthousandvillages.com. For more information on Simpson’s Ten Thousand Villages Alternative Gift Market, call (515) 961-1610.

Information courtesy of Simpson College Marketing and Public Relations