Rwanda
Women are the economic backbone of Rwanda today. After the 1994 genocide, the population that was left behind
was 70% female and it was women who were left to pick up the pieces. There are more women in Rwanda's
parliment than any other country and they are working on equality for women. Today, women can own land and wives
can legally keep their assets separate from their husbands. Women from both sides of the conflict have come together
to reclaim the centuries-old past art of weaving in order to sustain their families. Out of the many hand woven treasures
come the Nesting Baskets woven by a woman named Betty Uwamezi. Betty works with a variety of women, including
former sex workers who are looking for better ways to make money.
Lesoto/South Africa
In 2001, single mother Niki Roy took the opportunity to link a demand for beadwork and women in the rural African
communities and set up a business made up solely of 'African Women'. Currently the women come to a central point
to collect loose beads which they take home and make up the finished products whilst being able to keep an eye on
the children. These women are from the Free State in South Africa and some are from Lesotho. This business has
grown steadily and has provided the women a means to earn an income whilst taking care of the homestead and
children.
Beauty Maswanganyi, Bead Artist: Beaty hails from the Bushbuckridge area in
Mpumalanga. Her grandmother taught her to bead. Now Beauty is a master beader,
is wonderful with interpreting concept and is amazing with color. She is an
entrepreneur by nature. She has a wonderful sense of humor, an extraordinary
dedication to duty and a wisdom which is simple but extremely powerful. Beauty
lives with her husband and three children in the Diepsloot informal settlement just
outside of Johannesburg.
CasaSito Association
The CasaSito Association is focused on projects in Guatemala. One of the projects they are helping is the
Santiaguito Association, which was formed 10 years ago by nine Mayan women and now there are twenty
two. They work together to sell their traditional weaving and handicraft products. Then they share the
benefit proportionally in order to improve their living condition and to send the children of Santiago
Zamora (one of the poorest areas in Sacatepequez state of Guatemala) to school. CasaSito is helping
them to find international buyers and export their textiles.
Rwandan Orphan Quilting Project
Batik quilts are handmade by children orphaned by the ravages of war. Monies received from quilt purchases benefit
the Rwandan Orphans. One half goes to the quilters who created these beautiful pieces of artwork and nearly one
half to the orphanage itself, serving 400 orphans. In time, the project hopes to be self-supporting.
Original T-Bag Designs
The artists from Original T-Bag Designs live in an informal settlement located in Mandela Park, outside of Cape Town
in South Africa. Their homes are bits of tin and wood nailed together and they have had no formal schooling. But what
they do have is imagination and a desire to make their families' lives better. The artists use recycled tea bags as their
canvases - and they are painting themselves out of poverty. Used tea bags are collected and dried in the African
Sun. They are emptied of leaves and carefully ironed. Finally, each tea bag is painstakingly painted. They work mostly
at home during these early phases so they can care for their families while they work. Sometimes the little ones help
by emptying out tea leaves.
Sunflower
Chinese jewelry artist Wang Lingjun, or "Sunflower", has made a living with pearls and
jade since 1999. Surrounded by poverty and with no support from her family,
Sunflower still finds the strength to create her beautiful jewelry and has a positive
outlook on life. Jealousy from her business growing due to her increased sales
through Up from The Dust, Sunflower lost her booth space in Beijing. She has made
this into an opportunity and is expanding her business by opening a bigger space in
a different mart!
See a video testimonial from Sunflower at the 2010 World Summit of Women in Beijing, China.
Click Here.
For 37 generations, they have composed, performed and maintained a rich folk music legacy. Despite their
cultural significance, they are considered Untouchable, the lowest order in India's hierarchical caste system.
They are born without birth certificates and denied both access to education and political representation.
Amidst crippling marginalization and poverty, a critical mass of Merasi have decided that the next generation
will not inherit this hopeless reality. Through your purchases, you are supporting the women of Folk Arts
Rajasthan (FAR) in India. Women take recycled materials and sew them into decorative and utilitarian art,
providing the rare opportunity for financial empowerment.
Women of Hidalgo
The TENANGO, dreams woven on cotton canvas, are produced by women in different communities of
Tenango de Doria, Hidalgo Mexico. The characters, scenes, flora and fauna are derived from the name
TENANGO. Its beginnings date back to cave paintings found on stone walls in Cerro Brujo more than
2,000 years ago. It is worth noting that over time the colors have changed slightly but the style has
remained the same. That is why no design is repeated. Hidalgo women are responsible for drawing
their worldview onto the cotton canvas and then hand embroidering with colorful cotton thread.
After 10 years of age, girls begin to embroider. The Hidalgo women seek a better standard of living
for their families and their handicrafts make up a significant part of their livelihood. Without this,
their quality of life would be much lower. A large tablecloth takes about 6 months to complete.
Because all the work is done by hand, generating a steady income is more difficult.
Kandahar Treasure
Kandahar Treasure employs women artisans from the Kandahar area in order to develop an
economic base for the province and support the advancement of women throughout Afghanistan.
This style is called Khamak and is one of the oldest and purest forms of embroidery art in the
world. For centuries this embroidery has been produced by women who gather in their homes
to create pieces of functional beauty. Until recently, it was shared mostly within Southern
Afghanistan. today Kandahar treasure is bringing this art-form to the world.
Help for Poor Women Organization
The HPWO in Afghanistan supports and helps the Afghan poor, disabled and widows. Their projects help poor and
jobless women support their families through job promotion in women affairs and development of a predictable
income source in the country.
Gone Rural
Gone Rural works with over 700 rural women in the mountains of Swaziland, embodying an
understanding and respect for Swazi culture, heritage, and tradition. The women, many of
whom are grandmothers, work from home enabling them to maintain a traditional lifestyle
and to care for their own children and many vulnerable orphaned children within the
community. (Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world, at almost 40%).
A never-ending quest for improvement in the daily lives and financial empowerment of these
women, the staff at Gone Rural challenges themselves to create innovative contemporary
designs using traditional hand skills and locally sustainable raw materials. To read a recent
Beacon Of Hope
The mission of BOH is to bring hope to women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS within poor
communities by empowering and equipping them to meet their economic needs. Some items they
for us include Heart Cards, African Dolls, Star Ornaments, and much more.
Kashmir Krafts
Kashmir is famous all over the world for its rich cultural heritage, scenic beauty and beautiful range of handicrafts.
These beautiful products are hand embroidered by women in 17 Kashmir villages. The traditional techniques have
been passed down to them over many generations. The regions arts and crafts are a main source of income. The
master craftswomen help in ensuring quality work and procurement of finest quality raw materials.
Catherine Mwaka
Catherine mwaka of Mathare, Kenya (outside of Nairobi) and her two sisters have been
helping women through their business for seven years and employ five other men and
women. They exhibit at the Masai Markets in Nairobi and have a shop. They make
some of their items from animal bone, shells, and gourds.
Craft Network Cambodia
Purchase of products from Craft Network Cambodia helps re-integrate women in to a safe and
economically stable environment.These handcrafted products are made and designed by women in
Cambodia. By purchasing one of these items, you support the growth and development of
disaventaged women in communities throughout Cambodia. You also improve the lives of thousands
of women and children by funding numerous employment, training, and educational programs.
Many of the women who work in these programs are pulled from living on the streets.
Zingira Wasanii
Zingira Wasanii empowers women living in Kenyan slums to enrich their lives, families and communities
through utilizing their talents and skills to provide handmade products to the US market. Today these
women can meet their families' basic needs for food clothing and shelter. Zingira Wasanii was initiated
in 2007 by Phyllis Mwangi after participating in the Fortune-U.S. State Department Global Women
Leaders Mentoring Partnership program.
Zandla Xpressions
Zandla Xpressions offers marketing support to almost 100 micro enterprises producing handcrafted products in
South Africa. It also assists in the start-up of small business through Enterprise Development Programme.
The ultimate aim is to raise up well-equipped entrepreneurs running their own sustainable, profit making business.
Their products are made to the highest quality standards, whilst retaining the character of individually handcrafted
items.
Jordan Crafters
Women in Jordan hand embroider their products using completely traditional patterns on handspun or hand-woven
materials. Tassels or crochet work are handmade with viscose threads.
Otantic Anatolian
Each item that you buy is unique and special, and all are the work of the best masters in their field in Anatolia, the
peninsular region that comprises the greater Asian part of Turkey. This project was originally to help unemployment
in big cities through incorporating the unemployed woman into the workforce to make and sell the handiworks
traditionally taught to them since childhood. It soon expanded after the discovery of the heritage being lost in the
Anatolia region of Turkey, due to the lack of market for their skills. The Anatolia region has a cultural and traditional
heritage of thousands of years. Due to the closed economy policies of the past, the masters of the traditional arts
had fallen into economic difficulties for lack of demand. Now, the traditional handicrafts are being recognized as
"world heritage." In every product, you will share the cultural riches of many years and find aesthetic differences.
Noura Mossallem
Founded in 1999, Noura Mossallem produces high quality accessories for women. She uses materials from Bedouin
Souqs (markets) of Al-Arish and the ancient textile villages of Upper Egypt. Noura employs 15 women in her
workshop, situated in Dokki central Cairo and at times has homeless women do special embroidery on products.
The friendly environment enables all involved to enjoy creating every item with care and devotion.
Kenya Breast Cancer Awareness
The Breast Cancer Support Group in Nairobi, Kenya, is made up of cancer survivors who
make beaded items to support their families. Most of the women have been kicked out by
their husbands and by their employers since going through surgery and treatment. The
support group attempts to give them back their dignity and independence, as they provide
emotional, spiritual, psychological and economic support to each other.
Anju of Mongolia
Anju is a 55-year-old mother of seven from western Mongolia. Being Kazakh, she and her
family are an ethnic minority within Mongolia. In 1990, Anju's husband died suddenly.
During the same time the Mongolian government collapsed. Left alone in a poor economy
to raise six daughters and one son, Anju became an entrepreneur. She began traveling to
China and selling candy in Mongolia. Her efforts grew until she began making these beautiful
bags. The support she has found through the sale of these bags has allowed her to send all
of her children to University in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Cecilia
Cecilia Katungwa, 23, lives in Mukuru Fuatanyayo (Nairobi, Kenya) with a brother and a
little sister. Her mother was an alcoholic and died from TB when she was 13 and Cecilia
was raised by nuns in a children's home. She established a knitting and design business
two years ago and continues to expand it each year. It is located in the Kenyatta Market.
She has cultivated her leadership skills as a Chairwoman of Smart Girls Youth of Life, a
savings alliance for young women ages 15-25. Her business helps support a younger
brother and sister, too.
Maggy
Maggy Muthoni, 20, is a single mother of a three-year-old and owns multiple businesses in
Baba Dogo (Nairobi, Kenya). She has learned to save money every month rather than buying
snacks. Her family left the Masai over tribal conflict before she started school. Maggy was
instrumental in uniting the Kikuyus and Luos in her community after the post-election violence.
Many peers seek her out for her insight and guidance and personal and professional matters.
She takes good care of her son, who has some health challenges. She sells water, makes
batiks and does drama plays at church and community groups. She works several businesses
for money to further her education and support her son.
