Gifts that Give Back – 3Strands Bracelets

By Tara. *Item received for review. No financial reimbursement.*

Give a gift this holiday season that doesn't hurt your bank account and keeps on giving. For only 15 dollars, you can get an eco-friendly bracelet packaged in a recycled cloth handmade by girls in
Cambodia who have been rescued from a life of human trafficking. Proceeds from sales help to fund Agape International Mission.

Check out their website for more data. I'd like to point out, however, that 50% of profits go towards rescuing and restoring hope to victims of sex trafficking.

I like the fact these are "green", stylish, easy to adjust for size, and that they help girls in need. I love that the buttons on them say FREEDOM, LOVE, EMPOWERMENT. Don't we all need to be reminded of that?

Please pardon the pug butt. She wanted in the picture so bad. I had to indulge her.

You'll notice a red seed in the middle of one bracelet. There's a cool story behind this that I found on the website that really touched me. I've copy and pasted it here:

The red seeds featured on all 3Strands bracelets can be discovered if one looks into the pods, which grow on Sandalwood trees, native to Cambodia. The colorless pods eventually dry up and fall to the ground and are forgotten, stepped over like trash as they blow away in the wind. To Don Brewster, the founder of AIM, these pods are representative of how the Cambodian culture sees a child coming out of a brothel – as trash. But inside these dried up pods are beautiful, glossy, scarlet seeds that in their natural beauty, created by God, represents the beauty in each of the girls who have been freed, loved and empowered with a hope for the future. As each 3Strands bracelet is made by hand, with love, the girls incorporate the red Sandlewood seed in the design reminding them of their beauty within as they proudly sign their name to each bracelet.

Something else that touches me about these...is that each bracelet comes with a tag that has the girl's/creator's name on it. It's a personal touch that will touch your heart right away. 

*Item received for review. No financial reimbursement.*