RESPECT Launches e-Store

by Simon Dewerson
e-Store Project Coordinator

Today, RESPECT International is proud to announce the launch of the new RESPECT e-Store at http://e-store.respectrefugees.org. The e-Store project began last summer and provides a channel for refugee communities to sell locally produced ethnic goods to customers in the west. We have had a couple of refugee communities show interest in participating, but a lack of funding, and poor communications have made it difficult. Our efforts will continue in this area and we hope, with the launch of the e-Store, more refugee communities will be interested.

Currently available are postcards based on the winning designs from the RESPECT poster competition in 2003. It is our hope non-refugee schools, among others, will buy these postcards and use them to send messages to their partner refugee schools. Additional products available include refugee educational materials, WREN t-shirts, and RESPECT branded items.

Thank you to the many RESPECT volunteers who contributed over the last 9 months to the launch of the e-Store. At its peak the e-Store had 25 online volunteers from around 15 countries working on this project. Even though the e-Store has launched there is still a need for volunteers to help make improvements and maintain one of RESPECT's major projects.

Anyone interested in helping with the RESPECT e-Store can contact me, Simon Dewerson at e-store@respectrefugess.org.