Faces of Fair Trade members work with various developing countries around the world. Here are some of the faces we represent:
Artisania Sorata and Ayni Bolivia (Bolivia), Ta Prohm (Cambodia),
Zatoun (Palestine), Nharo San (Botswana), Karen people (Thailand),
Twitezimbere (Rwanda), Rojalin Sahoo (India), CONACADO (Dominican Republic)
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The Aymara are the indigenous people of Bolivia, descendents of the Inca culture. Artisania Sorata and Ayni Bolivia are fair trade groups composed of Aymara artisans who receive a living wage and training in the marketing and production of products. These products reflect their indigenous culture and use techniques such as embroidery, weaving and spinning and dyeing of alpaca.
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| Represented by Sue Berlove, Indigenous Crafts from Bolivia |
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| Cambodian artisans living with HIV produce beautiful handcrafted silk and grass reed products. Ta Prohm is a small fair trade co-operative of 12 people living and working communally in Phnom Penh. The artisans are all victims of landmines who have been trained in production of silk purses and other silk products. |
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| Represented by Diane Strong, D Strong Imports |
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| Support the farmers of Palestine in the struggle for livelihood and land via Zatoun. Farmers are paid fair trade prices. Proceeds from each bottle sold is donated to Trees for Life, to plant 20000 olive seedlings in Palestine. An additional amount supports Project Hope which uses the expressive arts (painting, drawing, drama, etc.) as a means to help heal children in Palestine. Zatoun is not-for-profit and volunteer-run. |
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| Represented by Zatoun |
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| The Nharo San, Kalahari Bushmen from Botswana are shown here. In 2002 Nharo artisans encouraged and inspired a working relationship to sell their handicrafts-ostrich egg jewelry, spears, bows, skins, musical instruments. Visit www.nharo.com. |
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| Represented by Paul Wellhauser, Nharo! |
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In the 1970's Thailand's Royal family initiated a project in the Golden Triangle region to provide alternative sources of income to the hill tribes. Due to the Karen hill tribe's history of working with silver, silver experts were sent to help them become masters in their craft.
The Karen people hand forge their tools and stamps and use them to create silver jewelry with floral patterns and symbols that draw on their inspiring beliefs of harmony with nature. Only by using high-purity silver (approx 97% alloy with copper) can these tools sustain hours of use without breaking. |
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| Represented by Sylvia Price, Talis |
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Twitezimbere is a group of talented weavers who are changing their lives by investing all their time in hand woven décor products using weaving materials available in Rwanda such as sisal, papyrus and banana fiber. Their products include gracefully patterned hand woven baskets, jewelry and African cotton shopping bags. |
| Represented by Florence Kayitesi and Fabien Munyankiko, Thousand Hills |
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| CONACADO (Confederación Nacional de Cacaocultores Dominicanos), founded in 1988, is a democratically run confederation of nine co-operatives. It has a member base of 10,001 small-scale cocoa farmer members who represent one quarter of all cocoa growers in the Dominican Republic. CONACADO’s mission is to improve the income and living conditions of cocoa producers and their families by supporting a sustainable approach to property management, the improvement of product quality, efficient harvest marketing and by strengthening business and organizational practices and community development. |
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| Represented by Siue Moffat, Boardwalk Chocolates |
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| Rojalin Sahoo, a young woman from the Indian state of Orissa, used to practice traditional “Tussar” (silk painting) as a hobby. With the help of ORUPA, a fair trade certified community group, she was able to obtain further training and design support, and developed into a highly skilled artisan . She is currently a successful rural entrepreneur and the main provider for her family, having leveraged her craft into a sustainable source of livelihood. She also trains other young women in her village in “Tussar” painting. |
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| Represented by Rhona Bhuyan, Candle Light Crafts |
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