Vima Lupwa Homes: Fair Trade African Handcrafts Sales Feed Zambian Orphans

Vima Lupwa Homes Stand at Blue Moon Marketplace Downtown

(BEND, OR) Vima Lupwa Homes, the Bend-based grassroots nonprofit founded by 22-year-old Malerie Pratt, is selling fair trade handcrafted items from Africa at a stand in the new Blue Moon Marketplace in downtown Bend. Proceeds from the sales will fund the monthly food budget for the dozen orphan children living in the Vima Lupwa Home in Zambia. Hand bags made from juice packages, hand-carved wooden bowls and salad implements and hand-woven bags adorned with shells are among the fair trade products available. "Fair trade" is the concept of paying producers in developing countries a price more closely aligned with the actual value of the goods in the U.S.

Blue Moon Marketplace, which celebrates its grand opening on First Friday, June 6, offers more than 50 unique shops under one roof. Blue Moon Market Place is located downtown Bend next to the post office (first floor of parking garage) at 61 NW Oregon Ave., Suite 101. For hours and details, phone 541-678-8064.

For more about Vima Lupwa Homes, visit www.lupwahomes.org.