From our Female Founder in Celebration of International Women's Day
With International Women’s Day upon us, as I reflect on Mala + Mantra’s role in the world and why I created this brand, I’m inspired to share with you details behind the M-powerment we offer women artisans through the production of our products.
From the very creation of Mala + Mantra, my vision was not only to spread mindfulness throughout a world that holds an immense need for quiet stillness and inner reflection, but also to give back and empower women artisans around the globe including incredibly talented artisans in my family’s homeland, the Philippines.
My vision came to life when I began working with a Fair Trade cooperative of female artisans located in the Philippines. Mala + Mantra is proud to provide a purpose driven and safe, sustainable, and meaningful way of life to these women as they lovingly handcraft each and every piece of our jewelry.
We M-power these artisans by offering a safe working environment, impactful work, and livelihood for them and their families.
Each piece of jewelry made by our female artisans further contributes to focusing on female empowerment and, in turn, society’s advancement as a whole, allowing what began as a small vision to grow into an agent for change and goodness for humanity.
When we truly open our eyes, we’re greeted with the reality that our future is undeniably female.
When we empower women to create safe havens for their families, work for livable wages, and support other women, we empower them to exponentially reinvest their time, efforts, and income back in our health systems, educational opportunities, food and other necessities, and their friends, families, and communities. This is how we create thriving communities and break the cycle of poverty so many find themselves trapped in, and at Mala + Mantra, we pride ourselves on placing our resources and energy into creating these changes.
One of the areas we place our focus is paying fair wages to our artisans, which enables them the capacity to care for their families, access healthcare and childcare when needed, and provide food and other basic necessities to those they love with confidence.
Fair wages, often more than anything else, allow our artisans dignity, freedom, and independence, things many of them haven’t experienced in many years. These are the things we work to provide access to across the globe, and the empowerment of women allows us to move forward with these capabilities and gift them to society at large.
Another way we focus on creating change is by implementing safe, meaningful working environments for our artisans, environments where they can feel comfortable, confident, and taken care of and part of a special community of like-minded women who support and uplift one another.
As we continue to empower women and further advance society as a result, we create change that globally benefits humanity and sets us on a path to healing and filling in the gaps that exist from community to community.
At Mala + Mantra, we feel incredibly honored to be part of these shifts and to support women in ways that make a tangible difference in their lives.
Please join us in celebrating International Women's Day on March 8th as Women's History month throughout March by supporting the women in our lives by encouraging them to achieve their dreams and goals and providing our own gifts to help our fellow females live in their light.
Happy International Women's Day!
Namaste,
JPC
Judith Perez Compton, Female Founder + Creator
