Bajalia: June 2007

Bajalia

Trading Places as we take a tour of the Bajalia work around the globe. From Orlando Florida to the ends of the earth - China, Afghanistan, Thailand, India and Africa. BaJalia International is a collaboration of for-profit and nonprofit that partners with artisans and entrepreneurs in undeveloped regions for the purpose of stimulating economic growth, while providing sustainable economic and social benefits to craftspeople. Support us at www.bajalia.com.

About Me

Name: Bajalia Trading Company

Location: Orlando, Florida

I am a first generation Palestinian-American. My professional biography is pretty diverse. I bring 20 plus years of design and advertising experience into the founding of Bajalia Trading Company. I have had roles for major retailers including: Bloomingdales, Richs, Neiman Marcus, Horchow, Macy’s and Marshall Fields. As a Stylist my editorial work has been published in Womens’ Wear Daily, W Magazine, Architectural Digest, Bride’s and People. My broadcast work included Honey Baked Ham, Ford, CNN, and Federated Department Stores. As a Creative director I have won numerous advertising awards including Gold and Silver Addy awards, CLIO, Show South and Catalog Age. Client list includes fortune 500 companies such as; Dell Computers, Southwestern Bell, Neiman Marcus and Horchow, Ford, Turner Broadcasting, Turner Home Entertainment, Bloomingdale's, Rich's, JCPenney, Delta Airlines, United Parcel Service. I have served on several non profit boards and am passionate about utililizing my art, business and design skills to make a difference in the lives of people. Bajalia Trading Company was founded on that desire. I am on the Executive Council for the Business Council for Peace.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Haiti in May

My schedule has been a bit insane and I am way behind on my blog. I had an opportunity to go with a Florida Association of Volunteers for Carribean Action to Aytai aka Haiti. FAVA/CA's aim is to improve social and economic conditions in the Carribean region through training and technical assistance. They are a great match for our work around the world and with our office now located in Florida I am definitely looking for work nearby to help train the Bajalia teams heading for work in the far corners of the world. Haiti's pride has been dented by decades of poverty, environmental degradation, violence, instability and dictatorship which have left it as the poorest nation in the Americas. With it only being 600 miles from the US that is such a horror. Democratic rule was restored in 2006, two years after a violent revolt ousted former leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide; bitter political divisions persist, and the scars of the country were there, but I was encouraged by the Men and Women I met and the progress being made. This was my 3rd trip to Haiti in the last two and a half years. I went to a art expose in Port-au-Prince of Femmes en Democratie, Women in Production. There were more than a hundred Haitian women entrepreneurs who displayed products at the Karibe Convention Center in Petion Ville. The expo entitled "Creations Couleurs Saveurs Creoles", designed to promote women doing business in Haiti, increased visibility of their products while providing a marketplace. Daniel St. Lot, was y hostess and the president of Femmes en Democratie, former Minister of Economy and Tourism, ran for mayor of Petion Ville, and has a consulting business. She was the coordinator of the 2007 Women in Production exposition. I was asked to help judge the best in catagory for the individual booths and made many new friends in Haiti and at FAVA/CA. I was very impressed by the Haitian design and display among the vendors. The huge wealth gap between the impoverished Creole-speaking black majority and the French-speaking minority, 1% of whom own nearly half the country's wealth, was very obvious in the show. But change comes one sale a a time.