As photos and stories of a world falling apart reach our eyes and ears it’s easy to become overwhelmed. We wonder how we can help them all? It’s impossible really. But that doesn’t mean we give up. Nope, it means that we need to get intentional. Because we CAN do something, one by precious one. The parable of the starfish beautifully illustrates this:
“Once upon a time, there was an old man who had a habit of walking on the beach every morning. One day, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.
Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!” ”
For her, for the one, one priceless life at a time….
Purchasing from Marketplacers is one way that YOU can make a difference! All of our pieces are sourced from organizations empowering women out of exploitation. The items are made by the women themselves providing them with dignified employment and the opportunity to change their lives and the lives of their families.