Haiti was an impoverished country even before the devastating earthquake, but now more than ever, we’re all looking for ways to help that will really have a lasting impact. Sarah Hackett has been working in Haiti for the past 16 years. As the founder of Haiti Projects, Inc., she’s all about grassroots projects that enable the Haitians to help themselves. Hackett is fighting poverty on multiple fronts—supporting local medical clinics, building libraries to foster literacy, providing micro-loans to farmers—but it’s her work with a sewing cooperative that we’re featuring.

What you get is a classic nightgown, perfectly cut and beautifully embroidered. This could be the perfect gift for a woman you love, or a little extravagance for yourself. What you give is support to Haitian women who are enabled to work from home and earn fair wages for their craft. This income provides for food and school fees for their children.

Mary Ann McCormick from Lark Fine Foods (we love her gourmet cookies) told us about Haiti Projects and its needlework cooperative. “I have several of these nighties and I can honestly say that they are quite beautiful and very well made,” Mary Ann says.

They’re not like anything you’ll find at the local mall, plus these may be the only nighties that come with the knowledge that you’re helping to make a difference.