I have been a board member with Sobornost For The World Foundation since 2003. It has two missions: caring and supporting AIDS orphans in sub-Sahara Africa by providing educational fees, clothing, food, blankets, small building projects and medical care; and promoting and selling Fair Trade products in a retail-like environment with proceeds going to expenses of the retail (rent/utilities/taxes) and the rest to the orphan programs. It is a 100% volunteer staff that operates the Fair Trade mission at World Village Fair Trade Market in Hampton Bays, NY, as well as all the board members. At any given time, there have been 6-8 board members, 6-10 store members and other volunteers who help in specific skilled areas such as accounting, merchandizing, etc.
This non-profit organization is a tax-exempt organization which has spent 10 years providing ways to alleviate desperate and extreme global poverty. It does this by selling the Fair Trade products which provide fair wages to producer cooperatives and growers in over 30 developing countries; as well as generating fundraising projects to provide much-needed revenue for the orphan programs. Presently there are over 300 orphans in Kenya and Zambia that are fed daily, and attend schools.
Our volunteers are dedicated to supporting these two missions in Sobornost For The World Foundation and spend five days a week running the retail environment. The board meets four times a year and is committed to keeping the support for the orphans growing to cover more orphans. In this challenging economy, we are trying everything possible to increase contributions and we look forward to new partners who will help us realize these urgent goals.
Review from Guidestar