Tag Archives: college students

Why “Women Wearing the Pants” Was Created

Welcome,

To begin with my apologies for not being the fully developed site that you would expect from an organization called “Women Wearing The Pants.”  In the future we intend to do everything in our power to live up to the name!

This site was developed in haste due to the timing of the Forbes magazine October issue The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

I’m sure you are here in response to my challenge for the “100 Most Powerful Women”. This is no small challenge. To create an organization under these guidelines in the middle of not so perfect conditions is nothing short of a revolution in the Textile industry. When this idea first came to me, I thought, “There’s no way a small group could achieve such a goal, but possibly Universities and their students could effect a change.”

On November 12, 2010 I read the Forbes Magazine article The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, and I had a revelation. Here are people who can make this a reality. These women, by my count, twenty-seven of which are noted for activism or humanitarian causes (# 27 Melinda Gates “improving the lives of women and children around the globe”). Twenty-three who control a large amount of the world’s finances (#5 Hillary Clinton may be heading up the World Bank). Sixteen of the women are directly related to the clothing industry, either having their own clothing line or are noted designers. Nine are noted for their marketing skills. And this is worth noting: Oprah was the only woman in all four categories.

I do believe these women will effect a change. It will be the responsibility of the socially conscious consumer to support these powerful women in this challenging task, by not only purchasing these products, but by also by becoming educated consumers, simply by searching the internet for “Free Trade Zones” and “Fair Trade Guidelines”. Just as we became educated in Organic Farming and Green Energy, Fair Trade products should be the socially conscious consumer’s clothing of choice. Wish us Good Luck toward our success!

In the future WWTP intends to pursue projects on a slightly smaller scale. Hope you will be there to help us.

For more information on WWTP please see our business plan set forth by our business director, Katie Cassidy.

My respect to the personnel of Non Governmental Organizations who have been in the trenches for years before my adventure; they are the ones who truly deserve the opportunity you’ve given me to open the conscious of so many.  We welcome them to this site.

Correspondence: we will do our best to handle all correspondence, please be patient.

Thank You,
Robert M. Carroll
Founder

Thank you to Diane DeVries of Digrafika for website creation and maintenance.

WWTP Supports Women in Esteli, Nicaragua

With the support of Women Wearing the Pants, IDE gains the opportunity to provide irrigation products and support for impoverished single women from the district of Esteli, Nicaragua. There are 1500 single women living in this district who do not know how to feed their own children.

In the beginning, 15 women will plan their own small garden with the support of IDE. Every three months IDE will include 15 more women (after every harvest). With the support of irrigation systems from IDE they can grow even during the dry season. In November, in conjunction with the leaders of the district, the first 15 women were selected to plant their garden. IDE will provide support for the women from growing to selling their vegetables.

How It Works

Women will sign a contract for maintaining the garden and irrigation system as a group, so the group is jointly liable if a woman does not fulfill her obligation. Any woman who participates in the project must pay $2 and take responsibility for the irrigation system. Every woman has an area of responsibility: finance, buying plants, fertilizer, selling to the market, organizing meetings, primary contact for problems, and more.

IDE is pleased to announce that in January, fifteen small gardens will be installed with their support.

If you care to donate, please donate directly to IDE.

 

Experimental Gardens

In December 2010, WWTP will help research and finance 15 experimental subsistence gardens for impoverished women headed households in Nicaragua through affiliations with www.IDEORG.org. To join us in supporting this project, you can send your donation via mail or online:

Via Mail, please send check to:

IDE
10403 W. Colfax Avenue
Suite 500
Lakewood, CO 80215

*Please put “Nicaragua” in the check’s memo so we can make sure it goes to the correct project.

If you care to donate, your donations will go directly to IDE. You may also donate at IDE’s website.

To donate securely online, first please enter your donation amount below, then click “Donate” and your donation will automatically be tagged to this project:

$

University Outreach

WWTP will be donating 1,000 organic cotton tee-shirts manufactured under Fair-Trade conditions in a Free Trade Zone to the university with the best “full circle” International Women’s Business Program.

Why do we want to involve students?

Motivated students can research and explore the possibilities of creating fair trade products in the free trade zones of the world in many areas of study. Design students can develop graphics to promote fair trade, or create logos and images on clothing for the socially conscious consumer. Marketing students can develop ideas for campaigns to influence consumers to purchase fair trade products. Business students can analyze the numbers – the production cost of using fair trade vendors. They can research the benefits of international trade and domestic trade. In international education programs, university exchange students can research agriculture, education and health, sharing these programs worldwide. Universities can help seek grants to explore the jobs fair trade can create. They can help make the case for fair trade globally.
If you are interested in learning more please contact us at info@womenwearingthepants.org.

Forbes 100 Challenge

Click to enlarge

This ad was placed in the New York Times on 11/21/2010:

A CHALLENGE FOR THE FORBES LIST OF “THE 100 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN”

THE CHALLENGE:

To finance, design, produce, and market clothing and product lines produced underFAIR TRADE guidelines in FREE TRADE ZONES.

This is a call to action for professional WOMEN WEARING THE PANTSto create opportunities to empower WOMEN WEARING THE PANTSin developing countries.

ARE YOU POWERFUL WOMEN?

Women Wearing The Pants
Promoting fair-trade ideals, practices, and values globally.
PO Box 627, Portsmouth, NH 03801-0627