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Our Artisan Partners work in some of the world's most vulnerable communities. Creating meaningful opportunity in these communities is at the heart of who we are as a business.
We work in places where people are vulnerable for many different reasons, including poverty, gender violence, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS.
To make an impact in these communities, we strive to build long-term partnerships with Artisan Business that create dignified jobs. When Artisans have good jobs where they earn reliable, fair and sustainable incomes, they are empowered to provide for their families and experience renewed hope for the future.
Local leaders who provide the vision and guidance that drives the impact of the Artisan Businesses
Social enterprises that are led by Artisan Entrepreneurs and provide income opportunities to Artisans
Skilled workers who have a dignified job and earn an income making jewelry or accessories by hand
We partner with Artisan Entrepreneurs who share our passion for creating dignified jobs in their communities. We believe that partnering with local leaders who share this commitment to making an impact is the key to success and sustainability.
We partner with local leaders who create a supportive work environment where Artisans are respected and have a voice. Many of these entrepreneurs focus on hiring people in their communities who may otherwise be overlooked for jobs, including women, people living with disabilities and survivors of trafficking. We collaborate with Artisan Entrepreneurs to ensure they pay fair wages, provide safe and healthy working conditions and prohibit child and forced labor.
By enabling Artisan Entrepreneurs to grow their businesses sustainably, we empower these local leaders to create more jobs for people who need them - and to join us in building a flourishing world!
Many of these entrepreneurs focus on hiring people in their communities who may otherwise be overlooked for jobs, including women, people living with disabilities and survivors of trafficking.
Lima, Peru
Fermin is the Artisan Entrepreneur who leads the business that creates many of our luxurious heirloom pieces. A third-generation silversmith, Fermin started his own jewelry workshop in Lima, Peru as a way to create dignified jobs in his community. Many people from rural villages travel to Lima in search of opportunity, but struggle to find jobs. Fermin focuses on hiring these people, enabling them to care for their families and connecting them to a supportive community.
Birginia is an Artisan who leads polishing and finishing in Fermin's workshop. She is one of many Peruvians who migrated from her rural home to the urban center of the country. Briginia came to Lima for work at the age of 16 to support her family, but didn't know anyone in the city. While looking for work, Birginia met Fermin and his wife Madelyn and began to care for their young sons. Later she began working in their workshop, where she received job and life-skills training. Today she works side-by-side with her husband in the workshop and is able to send her two young children to private schools.
New Delhi, India
Moon is the daughter of the founders of the fair trade movement in India. Walking in her father's foootsteps, Moon is an Artisan Entrepreneur who leads a flourishing business based in India. Today her business provides dignified jobs, life skills training and microloans to thousands of Artisans across India, plus scholarships that create a brighter future for over 1,000 children. She is also a leader in the movement to eliminate child labor in India.
Sunita is one of the women who has flourished under Moon's mentorship - but her life once looked very different. When Sunita gave birth to her daughter Vandana at 17, she had been married for three years to a husband who abused her. Then Sunita connected with Moon and began working as an Artisan. As she became confident in her own worth, her husband began to see her worth too. Moon's courage has sparked a courage in Sunita that is contagious. Today she empowers other women to stand up to abuse and recognize their true value.
Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala
Ana is a talented Artisan Entrepreneur living in Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala. Though she grew up in a rural village where jobs were scarce, Ana's family worked hard to send her to school. This opportunity gave her the courage to dream of how she could make an impact in her village. She launched an Artisan Business that creates dignified jobs for women by harnessing traditional weaving techniques. Today Ana's business is thriving, and so are families in her community.
Concepcion is one the Artisans who has a job weaving scarves by hand for Ana's business. Before she began working with Ana, Concepcion and her family struggled to make ends meet for their family of six. Concepcion's husband worked as a coffee harvester, but never earned enough to cover their children's school costs. When Concepcion learned she could use her traditional weaving skills to earn money for her family, she was overjoyed. Today she invests all of her earnings in her children's education and her oldest is attending university.
