Nature becomes art and a home for a lucky feathered friend with these gorgeous hand-painted gourd birdhouses from Peru! These whimsical birdhouses have been created out of a gourd, which a vegetable similar to a squash or pumpkin commonly found in Peru. Hanging from a special tree in the backyard, the entire family will enjoy placing birdseed inside the gourd and watching for birds that may make their home inside the birdhouse. Each unique birdhouse is carved and hand-painted in Peru, and then fair trade imported by One World Projects.

What is One World Projects?

One World Projects is a U.S.-Based player in the fair trade industry. They are dedicated to the “triple threat” mission of social entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and environmental conservation.

The company was initially founded by Phil Smith in 1992 to fight rain forest destruction with economic empowerment. Inspired by the success of initial products and the villagers he worked with, Smith decided to expand the mission of OWP to incorporate the principles of fair trade and began providing income generation to disadvantaged citizens in communities worldwide.

Today, 1,000-plus artisans from over 25 impoverished and developing countries are a part of the OWP network. They create household goods, fashion accessories, toys, and other objects, which are imported and distributed by OWP to retail outlets and US consumers.

But, OWP does more than simply provide a fair wage to it’s suppliers in poverty-stricken regions! OWP works with artisans to improve their communities by ensuring adequate access to basic necessities like food and water. They also open new markets for products and use marketing research to refine the artistic skills and designs of their artisans so that they can continue to compete effectively in the US. OWP has coined the phrase “Compassionate Trade” to describe this mission to go above and beyond the requirements of the Fair Trade Federation to improve the lives of partners and artisans.

To learn more about One World Projects, and to view the extensive collection of beautiful handicrafts created by their artisans, visit One World Projects.

*Company generously provided samples and images for this review.*