My Story:
I am one person trying to make an impact or at least reduce mine. It all started from a personal journey of attempting to 'manage' my love for shopping.  And oh how I loved my shopping.  You only have to read the early entries of my blog that show images of the clothes I had amassed over the years. 

Then one day I saw a news report on The ''7pm Project'' that focused on an organisation with a mission to end slave labour.  It invited the audience to take a survey that showed how many ''slaves'' you possibly had working for you to sustain your lifestyle.  You can read my full blog here, http://liloleblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/reducing-my-slavery-footprint-one-clothing-item-at-a-time/
And this is where it all changed and began...

Did you know?

• around 150 million children aged 5-14 in developing countries, about 16 per cent of all children in this age group, are involved in child labour (Unicef website)
• The ILO estimates that of the world’s 215 million child labourers, 115 million are involved in hazardous work, including 41 million girls and 74 million boys ; 53 million are aged 5-14, and 62 million are aged 15-17. (ILO Website)
• Accidents are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 10 and 19. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to accidents at work. A 2006 survey found that 1 in 13 youth had been injured on the job. In 2008, 34 workers under 18 died in the workplace. (The Child Labor Coalition)
• Two West African countries, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, supply 75% of the world’s cocoa market.  Thirty percent of children under age 15 in sub-Saharan Africa are child laborers, mostly in agricultural activities including cocoa farming.
• The processing of a typical piece of cotton clothing has undergone chemical treatment amounting to a third of it's weight worth of pesticides, bleaches, chemical fertilisers and other poisons.  This processing is so harmful to both humans and the environment due to the fact that these fertilisers and chemicals run into streams and oceans killing natural wildlife and thousands of workers (mostly in developing nations rife with poor human rights and working conditions) die annually due to chemical poisoning. (Ethica; Fashion for the Australian Green Goddess)

Why am I doing this?
As I mentioned I have been an avid shopper over the years, not giving a thought to my consumption.  I hear people say that one person won't make a difference.  However, with every one person, demand is driving up and hence production is increasing.

I am doing this to give back and help, plain and simple.  Some people have said that I'm doing this because I feel guilty.  Well yes, yes I do.  If you could see my previous shopping habits you would too.  So I am trying to give back and reverse this.  I didn't realise how devastating the issues were facing unethical practices and would like to make a positive change.
Give a Dollar (CAD) campaign is a personal mission to raise funds to donate to several charity organisations that are dedicated to promoting free trade and sustainable/ethical practices. 

I am sure we all have some an idea relating to the 'non ethical' standards of clothing manufacturing (sweat shops).  I was to a degree.  However I wasn't aware to just how prominent, just how bad and just how common it was. 

For the sake of fast fashion, we have taken convenience and affordability over ethical fashion.  I don't want to preach about good and bad, right and wrong.  I am only sharing information I have learned to raise awareness.  I don't judge others who have no interest in this. I merely want to share information because let's face it, we are a far cry away from being a free trade nation.  Even myself, it's impossible not to buy clothing or products from China, India or other nations that is prevalent with unethical labour practices, all the time.  Until this is abolished, I can only be aware and reduce my impact.   However, I can also try to support it and give back in other ways.

So what is this campaign trying to achive?

Part of this campaign is to raise awareness and funds from like-minded people.  I am reaching out to individuals and asking them to spare a thought and 'Give a Dollar'.  Each year billions of dollars are spent during Christmas alone in Australia, I am simply asking for people to give back $1 to support my cause.   My goal is to reach at least 2014 people and raise $2014 for 2014.  I am starting out small however every dollar counts.

What you can do:

• Donate a dollar (hence the title give a dollar) :) (100% minus third party fees will go toward this campaign)
• Spread the word so your friends can donate a dollar
• Get to know your brands and support 'ethical brands'
• If you're a business you can also give a dollar...or two :)

What I am doing:

Well my personal goals to support this campaign include:

• Give a dollar with every purchase I make
  (I have definitely curbed my love for shopping, however where I can, I also ensure I choose brands that support ethical fashions (this information can be very hard to find) and also give a dollar for every new purchase)
• I am selling off my excess clothes
  (I list clothing on this page that I no longer wear.  I sell them very cheap and all sales (100%) goes toward the charities.)
• I make little nic nacs and handmade recycled accessories to sell on the page
  (when I have time, I also dabble in some DIY and crafts and sell fashion accessory items.  100% of the sales will also go toward the donations)

Give a dollar campaign is my way to give back and I hope you can support it so it is a success.

Charity Orgs:
The two main charity organisations I will be donating the shared funds to will be:
Made In A Free World
IFWA

You can contact us via:
gadcampaign@outlook.com.au
Twitter: @gadcampaign

facebook: www.facebook.com/giveadollarcampaign

Thanks