Transforming Neighborhoods to Change the World - Flourish by Noonday Collection Если вы только размышляете над тем, какую форму кредита предпочесть, то мы хотели бы посоветовать вам присмотреться к микрозайму. Это точно такой же кредит, к которому мы все давно привыкли, просто выдаётся он не классическим банком, а мфо. И ещё нюанс, есть возможность получить такого рода кредит без процентов, то есть займ будет для вас абсолютно бесплатным.

Transforming Neighborhoods to Change the World

Daisy might have the strangest story of encountering Noonday Collection: in Quito, Ecuador! She was volunteering with her husband at an urban children’s program where she ran into the sweetest (and most stylish) ladies from all over the US. Passionate about social justice and ready to revive her love of fashion, Daisy was intrigued when she learned about the Ambassador Opportunity—and the rest is history! By day, Daisy runs marketing for a small research nonprofit that focuses on young people and faith. Outside of work, she blogs at Simplicity Relished, serves at her church, tutors local kids, cooks with friends, gushes about Noonday, and researches destinations she has no immediate plans to visit.

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Some of us are old enough to remember the show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Watching those reruns today feels akin to traveling back to an age when people took walks through their communities, saying hello to familiar faces.

Now it’s much less likely for those of us who live in large cities to experience community at a neighborhood level. I have to admit that I don’t even know our new neighbors’ names.

And this isn’t so surprising when we consider our 21st-century lifestyle. We are so globally connected that building community at the neighborhood level can feel like a thing of the past. People move locations far more often than they used to. And I could just as easily speak face-to-face with someone in Australia through my computer, as knock on my neighbor’s front door.

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Despite the fact that it sometimes feels like we are doing life alone, the truth is that neighborhoods still matter. A study done in Chicago by sociologist Robert J. Sampson reveals how our neighborhoods—those immediate physical spaces—still have a practical social, economic, and even emotional impact on us.

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In his book Great American City Sampson explains how the symptoms of disorder in Chicago—homicide, low birth weight, infant mortality, teen pregnancy, physical abuse—are not only linked to particular neighborhoods, they are also all linked to each other. That means that wherever you find one symptom, you are likely to find another.

The implications of this are astounding: what we usually try to explain as the result of poverty and under-resourcing is actually a complex and tightly woven web of symptoms. These neighborhood effects are strong and surprisingly consistent. While at first they might appear disconnected, they actually make up an entire network that is deeply rooted in certain regions of the neighborhood.

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So what does this mean? It means that neighborhoods are more likely determinants of their residents’ quality of life than any other factor. And that is why it is so important that we pursue development at the neighborhood level—whether it’s in Southside Chicago or a rural community in Uganda.

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The Noonday Approach: Creating Opportunity on a Neighborhood Level

Poor neighborhoods need physical infrastructure: better hospitals, better roads, better services. But what they also need is stronger social infrastructure. This is the true antidote. Picture members of the community who are willing to help each other and keep each other safe because they feel interconnected. When neighborhoods demonstrate these community-based values, they build mutual trust and a sense of connection that help everyone who lives there thrive.

Modern Romance Necklace | Noonday CollectionNothing, in my opinion, is more effective at fostering these values than a small but growing business that brings together the talents of an entire community. Noonday’s Artisan Partners not only create jobs in their own under-resourced communities, but they also offer neighborhood-based services that are run by members of that neighborhood. This is very different from a government or nonprofit initiative, as its growth depends on the neighborhood’s residents alone. As community members get involved in a common goal, the overall well-being of the neighborhood increases.

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And Noonday’s Artisan Partners’ neighborhoods are actually changing because of their work in the community! Last year, the local police in Kampala, Uganda came to Noonday’s Artisan Partner workshop, run by Jalia and Daniel. The couple was a little nervous, because corruption is rampant among the police force in their community, and they weren’t sure why the police were there. But it turned out the police wanted to shake Jalia and Daniel’s hands and offer them their congratulations for the work they are doing in the neighborhood.

Noonday Collection Uganda Partnership

The police told Jalia and Daniel that since their workshop has grown to provide work for several hundred people, crime in the neighborhood has gone down overall! When people have dignified jobs, they feel less desperate and are less likely to commit crime. What an incredible testament to the power of fair work!

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What sociologists call “neighborhood-level intervention”—outsiders coming in with programs to start improving conditions—is difficult. Noonday focuses on growing Artisan Businesses run by local people to make a sustainable change. By investing in these local entrepreneurs, Noonday is able to make an impact in a way that is effective and respectful of the local context.

So as we continue to support these Artisan around the world, let us remember that it goes far beyond fashion. Given the neighborhood impact of businesses like Jalia and Daniel’s, our purchases can reverse the powerful legacies of disadvantage and oppression. When we invest in a community in long-term partnership, we help to multiply the participation and interaction of its residents, leading to lasting local change. Eventually, that change will be global.

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