Ten Thousand Villages News

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Fair trade saves lives, said Mike Muchilwa of KICK Trading, a Ten Thousand Villages trading partner in Kisumu, Kenya. Read on for Muchilwa’s observations on the power of fair trade to help artisans survive crises such as Kenya’s recent post-election turmoil.

In recent months, the international media has been replete with horrific images of a formerly peaceful Kenya descending into mayhem. Youth brandishing machetes, destroying property and taking lives in full view of the media. Menacing policemen shooting unarmed protestors holding branches and calling for peace and justice. Women and children burnt to death in churches and homes by murderous gangs, all in the name of justice.

In addition to some criminals, many people involved in post-election riots were unemployed youth. Kisumu, located on Lake Victoria in Western Kenya, and the location of KICK Trading, suffered economic damage of more than $45 million, which will take as many as 20 years to rebuild. Thousands have lost their livelihoods, and crime has risen proportionally. Property has been looted and destroyed, and the city resembled a war zone.

International observers have recognized the need to address many underlying issues that have boiled to the surface following disputed elections in Kenya. Key issues have been unemployment, poverty and inequality. Kenya has the third worst income distribution in the world, with 20 percent of its population controlling half its wealth. Many unemployed people, desperate to earn a living, have been forced into the informal sector, popularly known as the "jua kali" (Swahili for hot sun). It is these producers with whom KICK Trading has worked since its inception. The organization has always seen the potential of these marginalized people who have been left out of the formal economy.

Many of those who were seen brandishing machetes, demonstrating and getting shot live in the same Kisumu neighborhoods as KICK's artisans. Many have grown up together and can put names on the casualties.

I believe many artisans would have joined the looting, destruction and death had it not been for fair trade. Others have been rehabilitated from crime and prostitution because fair trade gave them the means to earn an honest living. When fair trade opportunities are lost, we see the death, desperation and hopelessness arising.

Fortunately, all of KICK's producers were alright, with no reports of any having been harmed. Credit goes to partners like Ten Thousand Villages in the United States and Canada, as well as Trade Aid New Zealand, whose orders have kept producers working in spite of the hardships Kisumu faces. The recent chaos has strengthened KICK’s resolve to promote fair trade and benefit many more marginalized producers and desperate youth. With support from its trading partners, KICK can prevent a young life from becoming a death statistic—and prove that fair trade does save lives.

Increased orders from Ten Thousand Villages have brought another group of village weavers to the Phontong Handicrafts network of artisans in Laos. A recent order for a new product (an embroidered silk scarf) has provided work for 13 weavers who had previously only been able to sell their products in the local market. The women have all come to the village, called Ban Na Ngom Khao, from Hua Phan province in northern Laos in recent years.

Their story of resettlement from the northern provinces is similar to that of many thousands of other Laotians. In the rugged mountainous north, they practiced slash and burn agriculture and lived several days walk from a health clinic, or roads that would lead to other services or goods that they couldn’t provide for themselves. Life became very difficult, and some families began to leave. In 1999, several families arrived in this new area, about 37 miles from Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Eventually, other families from Hua Phan joined them, were given land on which to build their houses and tried to make a living. They had no land on which to plant rice, however, and there were not many opportunities to earn money.

Some of the newcomers knew Kommaly Chanthavong, director of Phontong Handicrafts, since her family had also come from a nearby village in Hua Phan province. Many of the women are weavers, like Chanthavong, but most had no looms or money to access the materials that they would need to weave. They also had little food for their families, so Chanthavong and her family purchased land on which they could grow rice. Later they bought more land for growing teak trees and mulberries, which could support silkworms to provide silk to the weavers. With funds from Ten Thousand Villages and others, some of the women received training to raise silkworms and mulberry plants, and others received training in weaving and dyeing techniques.

Now 25 families have settled in this village. There are many looms underneath the traditional wood and bamboo houses, placed there to provide a shaded workspace. Just like their ancestors, their houses accommodate one loom for each female member of the household. New generations learn from their elders the intricate weaving patterns, starting with four-inch-wide strips that will become beautiful borders on traditional skirts, called “sinh.”

These families have better lives and a brighter future, thanks in large part to assistance from Chanthavong and Phontong Handicrafts. The 13 weavers who worked on their first order from Phontong look forward to many more. They hope that interest in their weaving will continue for years to come so that their younger sisters, daughters and granddaughters will be able to carry on their rich heritage of weaving.

Jane Snider
Mennonite Central Committee Laos handicraft designer

Cyclone Sidr tore into Bangladesh’s southwestern coast on November 15, 2007, affecting millions of people. Powerful winds swept in from the Bay of Bengal, creating a surge of water that rolled up rivers and canals, deep into the countryside. The worst cyclone in more than a decade, it left an estimated 3,400 people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. Crops were destroyed and livestock swept away.

Four enterprises of artisan group Prokritee, in Agailjhara District, were badly affected by the cyclone. Prokritee is an artisan organization that sells hemp, keya palm and handmade paper products to Ten Thousand Villages All of the artisans who work at Bagdha Enterprise (hemp products), Biborton (handmade paper), Joberpar (handmade paper) and Keya Palm Handicrafts (keya palm products) suffered some losses. S.M. Sajid, executive director of Prokritee, reports that the husbands of two artisans were killed by falling trees. More than 400 artisan families suffered damaged or destroyed houses. In addition, most of the artisans lost trees on their property and fish that they were raising in ponds.

Ten Thousand Villages in the United States and Canada has contributed $93,000 to a relief response led by Prokritee and Mennonite Central Committee in Agailjhara district. Most of the money will be used to help artisan families to reconstruct their houses. A new house is estimated to cost $320.

Sajid emphasized that continued orders for products will be crucial over the next few months, and even years, since artisans and their families will need steady income to help them rebuild their homes, properties and livestock.

Other artisan organizations in Bangladesh, CORR-The Jute Works, HEED Handicrafts, YWCA, Jahanara Cottage Industries, and others, all report that they too are involved in cyclone relief work.

Mennonite Central Committee, Ten Thousand Villages parent organization, has committed $500,000 to cyclone relief. This included providing food for 10,000 families for one month immediately after the cyclone and for building 1,250 houses for families who lost their homes in other areas of Bangladesh.

Doug Dirks
Public Relations

Ten Thousand Villages recently introduced an exquisite necklace and earrings set from Rajasthan (item 6838630). Set with black onyx lined with garnets, the pieces are created by Uma Enterprises, a workshop of the Craft Resource Center (CRC) in Calcutta, India. The following is from a report by Irani Sen, director of CRC.

Craft Resource Center (CRC) works with a wide range of traditional and modern arts and crafts in India. Among artisan groups producing exquisite products, Uma Enterprises based in Jaipur, in Rajasthan, sparkles like a precious gem.

Uma Enterprises was started by Mr. Satyanarayan Agarwal in 1980. With his strong aptitude and skill in designing jewelry, Agarwal and two other artisans started their business in a humble way, in their native Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan—known as the most colorful state in India.

The group, which started with only two artisans, has now become a group of 50 skilled artisans. Uma Enterprises has become well known in India and beyond for its novelty in jewelry design and for its workmanship. The group's pieces are a fusion of traditional and modern motifs. This traditional craft of Rajasthan enjoys equal distinction with Rajasthan's other folk arts, such as Sanganer block print, tie dye and home décor embedded with mirror work.

Uma's artisans range from 20 to 40 years of age, and they are able to earn much more than artisans producing other crafts in India. The semiprecious stones used in their jewelry are obtained in Jaipur, which has a well-developed market for the stones. Some of the silversmiths in the group have learned their craft from experts in the field, while for others, the skill has been passed down through generations.

As a strong believer in fair trade practices, Agarwal continues to improve artisan benefits, giving priority to a larger work space, health and accident insurance and a pension plan. The group's environmentally focused norms have brought them additional acclaim. Agarwal has also focused on exposing artisans to new designs through their attendance at workshops. Uma Enterprises also plans to build up their stock of silver, to protect themselves from unsteady market prices.

On behalf of CRC, I wish a big success and prosperous business ventures to Uma Enterprises.

In Cairo's Maqattam neighborhood, artisan Heda Eid hand looms shaggy cotton purses made from recycled fabric for fair trade partner Ten Thousand Villages.

Heba Eid is a young woman who has worked with APE (Association for the Protection of the Environment) for two years. She works from her home, which is located in the heart of "Garbage City." Here, the street is paved with layers of cardboard, plastic bags, newspaper, and mud. Dead rats lie squashed and drying in the sun. And razor blades and needle syringes from hospitals are sprinkled about.

The money Heba makes weaving has helped her family move from a dark apartment that shared wall space with 10 pigs, to an upstairs flat with more light and improved air circulation. Heba's loom is her family's pride and joy. With it, she makes 3 or 4 purses a day, working from 8am until 5pm.

"I have wanted to have a loom in my house for a long time so I can work and have money. With this money I can help my family. All I want is to be with my family and help them out and I am doing this now. So my dream has been realized."

--Heba Eid, MCC Egypt

Although she has stopped going to school, she is optimistic: "It is better to work and learn a skill so I can make money and help my family and buy things for when I marry," said Eid.

APE helps women earn money by weaving rugs and purses as well as making quilts, pillows and handmade paper products. Literacy, health, hygiene, and family planning courses are also built into the program's efforts.

Ten Thousand Villages connected with hundreds of conscientious customers at the Washington, D.C., Green Festival on the weekend of October 5. Lisa Stratton, marketing director, along with Kris Thomas, customer service and festival sale manager, and Marissa Heyl, marketing fellow, represented Villages at the widely attended event.

Co-sponsored by Global Exchange and Co-op America, the two-day event featured more than 125 speakers and 350 businesses promoting eco-friendly companies and environmental awareness. Some estimates report that as many as 35,000 people gathered at the green, organic and fair trade booths to learn about sustainable living.

Ten Thousand Villages featured recycled and natural products at the sales booth, including the best-selling recycled newspaper items. Bangladeshi palm garlands and Pakistani onyx pieces were some of the top sellers. Stratton and Heyl gave a presentation entitled "Putting Artisans First" that outlined Ten Thousand Villages' relationship with artisan partners.

"It is always exciting to be part of the Green Festival and it's a great place to share our mission, store network, e-commerce site and wonderful products with consumers," said Thomas.