If you would like to purchase handmade blankets made by women to support their families, please visit:

sheepdreamzzz.org

Kingdom Gems Gives Back

       At Kingdom Gems, we believe in giving back and, therefore, we donate a portion of our profit to Sheep Not Goats (SNG), which is a part of a Florida non-profit called Sheep Dreamzzz. Their mission is to provide employment opportunities in the developing world (currently Nicaragua) while also meeting urgent medical and food needs.
       Even though Nicaragua is less than a 1000 miles from the United States, it remains far from the first world in terms of development (it’s the 2nd- or 3rd-poorest country in the western hemisphere). Jobs are scarce and healthcare is poor.
       In 2003, Steve and Sandy Jacoby moved to Nicaragua and began looking for an opportunity to enable people to help themselves through work so they could provide for their families and make other decisions that work best for them. After securing a 501(c)(3) status as a tax-exempt charitable organization, they bought some land and began building a farm: fencing, well, small buildings, plantains and pitahaya (dragon fruit). This sustainable farm has provided employment and income for many of the residents in Malapsaillo, Nicaragua.
       The farm produces plantains and pitahaya (dragon fruit), bananas, and guayaba, and most recently tilapia. They later added tilapia production, bananas, and guayaba. Along the way they have employed many different people: fathers, mothers, college students, and more. Sheep Not Goats has also been able to meet many medical needs of the people and has sent many local children to camp.
       Sheep Not Goats also started the Sheep Dreamzzz project in 2018 to teach women to knit baby blankets that are later sold in the US. The women keep almost all of the profit, enabling them to apply their earnings where they are most needed, typically for food, medicine, and housing.
Sheep Not Goats hopes to duplicate their sustainable farm and crafts model in more small towns in Nicaragua and other Third World countries.
If you would like to find out more information about Sheep Not Goats, please visit their website at: www.sheepnotgoats.org.