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Yesterday I read an article in Forbes.com by Angie Chang, a woman business owner, who has yet to start her Holiday Shopping.  A few weeks ago she was reading a blog post about a woman business owner and her product and immediately thought this product would make a great Holiday gift.  In this article she wonders if she can spend at least 50% of her Holiday Gift dollars on women-led businesses.  Angie has decide

Walmart plans to offer 500 fair trade certified products made by 20,000 women from more than 20 countries by 2016.  It's an interesting plan for the retailer known for low prices and a few large suits involving treatment of workers.

The news seems to have surprised many, as one of the goals of fair trade is to make sure farmers, workers and artisans are paid a "fair wage."  Walmart is known for driving down the prices it pays its vendors.  In fact, there have been many articles about how Walmart calls in companies and tells them to lower their prices.

There is a global movement working to improve terms of trade for artisans, farmers and other producers in developing countries.  Fair Trade promotes sustainability by raising prices for products as well as raising social and environmental standards.  It works to reduce the number of individuals between the artisans and the importer, while helping artisans develop the business skills necessary to successfully compete in the global market place.

"Sharing the fruits of growth and globalization equally between men and women is essential to meeting key development goals."--Justin Yifu Lin, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics.

As stated in our previous blog post, during the month of April and in honor of Earth Day we will be featuring three artists who work with artisans to create eco-friendly products from recycled and/or natural materials.

As stated in our previous blog post today is International Women's Day, a day when women are recognized for their accomplishments.  Today we will be featuring Carol Cassiy, who works with artisans in Laos and Cambodia, and Ellen Dorsch, who works with artisans in Ethiopia, Swaziland, Afghanistan and Senegal.

Tomorrow, the 8th of March will be the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a day when women are recognized for their achievements.  It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments and more importantly for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

If you follow VirtuArte on Twitter (http://twitter.com/virtuarte) you would know that earlier this month I was in Santa Fe to attend the International Folk Art Market. While there I had the opportunity to meet Rebecca Lolosoli, a Kenyan artisan participating in the Folk Art Market. After talking to her for a while I found out she is a very remarkable woman.

Some of you are probably thinking she must have started writing this post last week and forgot to change the title. I know the Presidential Election was last week. Who could forget. This is not a reminder for that election; it is a request for you to vote in another kind of election.

I recently received an e-mail from a friend with the title: You've been sent a link to start The Girl Effect. I wondered what The Girl Effect was. I thought maybe it was a new social network, a website for women entrepreneurs or a website about new trends that have been started by women. I opened the e-mail and found the following:

Girl Effect, n. The powerful social and economic change brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate in their society.