What began as a modest initiative in 1946 when Edna Ruth Byler, a volunteer with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), purchased hand-embroidered textiles from women in Puerto Rico, has grown into an international fair trade movement.
Ten Thousand Villages is one of the oldest and largest fair trade organizations in the world, connecting consumers in North America to artisans around the world through long-term connections that benefit people instead of maximizing profits.
Mission
Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit, fair trade organization that markets products from artisans in developing countries. Its stores in the United States offer gifts, home decor accents, fashion accessories and jewelry handmade by over 20,000 artisans from 30 nations.
This company strives to protect cultural heritage while alleviating poverty through fair trade. Its artisan investment model puts the maker first and relies on long-term partnerships that foster artisan development.
Ten Thousand Villages stands out from other retail companies by paying its artisan partners 50% upfront for all orders. This ensures they have enough funds to purchase raw materials and pay for production costs, eliminating all financial risk.
These artisans are able to pay their families a living wage and lead better lives. This gives them the ability to provide for their families, educate their children, and contribute to the wellbeing of their communities.
Ten Thousand Villages not only purchases directly from artisans groups, but it also collaborates with export businesses that sell their handicraft products elsewhere. This helps provide small artisan workshops with tools and sustainable sources of income - leading to greater artisan development.
How Ten Thousand Villages is Reducing Poverty
Ten Thousand Villages purchases and sells products made by artisans in developing countries, giving these artisans access to global markets and earning a living wage. Furthermore, Ten Thousand Villages encourages these groups to develop sustainable materials that are compatible with enduring traditions.
Akron-based retailer operates with a Fair Trade business model with artisans from 38 countries, paying them a living wage and providing at least half their income upfront. This ensures the artisan groups are able to complete projects without needing external sources of funding.
Bunyaad’s investment model is essential for their work in Pakistani rug-making, which they strive to preserve. They work with nearly 850 families across 100 villages throughout Pakistan and partner with organizations like Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Egypt to manage logistics.
Director Yousaf Chaman of Bunyaad strives to make a positive contribution to Pakistani culture while offering livelihood opportunities for artisans, particularly during times of instability such as COVID-19 that has decimated the country and flooding that has devastated numerous rural communities.
Impact on Local Economies
Ten Thousand Villages is one of the oldest and largest fair trade organizations in the world, working with artisans from more than 25 countries to give them access to market opportunities in America, helping break the cycle of poverty and enhance their quality of life.
Artisans’ products are sold through local, regional and national nonprofit stores. Furthermore, consumers have the opportunity to donate their purchases and support artisans who lack other sources of income.
Ten Thousand Villages has continued to expand its business despite the nationwide retail slump, opening two new locations this year in Pennsylvania and planning another for this holiday season. Despite these difficulties, Ten Thousand Villages remains optimistic about its prospects for expansion.
According to a study by Partners for Just Trade, artisans who sell their wares through fair trade receive 21 cents more per retail dollar than those who do not. This money helps pay for food, education, health care and housing in the developing countries where these artisans reside.
In Bangladesh, for instance, the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening artisan incomes. Ten Thousand Villages and other organizations are working to mitigate this impact by providing artisans with transportation to and from work - an essential element of their livelihoods.
Workforce Development
Ten Thousand Villages’ products, from hand-embroidered Nativity scenes in olive wood to Indonesian beaded necklaces and Peruvian wall hangings, preserve cultural heritage while helping artisans earn a living wage. Each purchase provides them with income that helps them pay their bills, purchase food for their children’s education and improve their homes.
Ten Thousand Villages, instead of purchasing from established co-ops and companies, strives to cultivate young groups that wouldn’t have a chance in the commercial marketplace, according to company CEO Dan Alonso of Mechanicsburg, Pa.
The organization’s “maker-to-market” strategy invests in artisans and provides them with safe working environments, helping break the cycle of poverty. For instance, in Nepal 90% of women artisans are supported by Association for Craft Producers (ACP), which provides savings programs, medical allowances, education assistance and paid maternity leave to its members.
Ten Thousand Villages has been providing working capital and a market to artisans in developing countries for more than seventy years, aiding their economic development and breaking the cycle of poverty. Furthermore, Ten Thousand Villages has influenced global policy by raising awareness about fair trade and its role in advancing human rights and gender equality.
Role in Promoting Human Rights
Ten Thousand Villages is more than a retail company; it’s part of an international maker-to-market movement that connects artisans in developing countries with conscious shoppers in North America. Each purchase helps artisans by providing them with income to cover basic living expenses like food, housing or education.
Ten Thousand Villages, founded in 1946 and headquartered in Akron, Pennsylvania (about an hour west of Philadelphia), is a nonprofit organization that facilitates contracts with artisans from 31 developing countries while guaranteeing they receive fair wages for their labor.
Ten Thousand Villages’ mission is to prioritize people and the planet, aiding poverty alleviation through sustainable income, economic empowerment, and community development. To this end, Ten Thousand Villages cultivates long-term buying relationships that last an average of two decades, targeting marginalized communities with over 60% female makers.
New institutional economic theory suggests village rules can replace part of the role played by formal environmental regulations in encouraging farmers’ cleaner production practices. Therefore, efforts should be made to cultivate and strengthen this interaction between village rules and formal environmental regulation, with both being formalized into a regulatory system of mutual support for farmers’ cleaner production practices.
Gender Equality
Ten Thousand Villages takes a different approach than traditional retailers by prioritizing the maker and cultivating long-term partnerships with artisans in developing countries. These relationships are founded on fair trade principles and provide them with financial security, giving them a safety net of stability.
This artisan investment model provides artisans with a living wage and offers them the chance to break free of poverty. With this income, they are able to feed their families, pay for schooling or healthcare needs, and generally improve their quality of life.
The Fair Trade movement advocates that prices paid to artisans be determined by a mutually agreed upon fair rate. This price covers materials and labor costs, recognizes craftsmanship, and takes into account living conditions in developing countries.
Additionally, it guarantees artisans are paid promptly and fully when their products are shipped out. Doing this helps them avoid product markdowns or discounts that could adversely affect their income.
Ten Thousand Villages also provides assistance to vulnerable artisans, particularly women. These individuals often face difficulty finding work and require extra support during times of economic difficulty. Lapp noted that Ten Thousand Villages continues to work closely with its artisans even during the current COVID-19 pandemic which is causing even greater economic disruption in their countries.
Environment
Ten Thousand Villages is a store run by the Mennonite Church that supports artisans in developing countries around the world. Here you’ll find hand-embroidered textiles, jewelry, pottery and other handmade items with your purchase.
The fair trade organization works with artisans in more than 25 countries to foster trading connections. Through their “maker-to-market” strategy, the organization invests in artisans and provides safe working environments to break the cycle of poverty.
This approach not only provides a source of income, but it also works to promote sustainability and minimize environmental impact. Furthermore, it encourages local raw material use as well as recycling materials.
Peruvian craft makers typically sell their wares through retail stores, but Ten Thousand Villages strives to develop small co-ops and workshops that would otherwise go untapped.
Ten Thousand Villages fosters economic security through long-lasting trading partnerships with artisans and their families, thus decreasing the number of child laborers by creating stability within households.
Testimonials
By shopping at Ten Thousand Villages, you are contributing to the well-being of people around the globe. This nonprofit strives to bring handmade products from developing countries into the marketplace through long-term fair trade partnerships.
Ten Thousand Villages’ artisan investment model is designed to give makers in developing nations access to financial stability and break the cycle of poverty. It relies on a strong partnership and dedication to fair wage pricing - paid even during times of economic upswing - that ensures fair compensation for workers regardless of circumstances.
These artisans are typically talented individuals who have been unable to secure employment in the mainstream economy. By working together, these skilled individuals gain access to a new market and generate sustainable incomes for their families.
It also allows them to provide for their families’ needs and safeguard their cultural heritage. The company upholds these artisans’ rights by offering savings programs, education assistance, health insurance coverage and on-site meals with clean drinking water.
Visit Ten Thousand Villages’ store in Asheville and you will gain knowledge about fair trade and how your purchase affects people around the world. It will give you a sense of fulfillment and the assurance that you can make an impact with your actions.
In Conclusion
Overall, Ten Thousand Villages stands out as a leading fair trade organization that prioritizes people over profit. By investing in long-term partnerships with artisans in developing countries, the organization has been able to break the cycle of poverty for many families while preserving cultural heritage. The artisan investment model ensures that makers receive fair compensation for their work, and the company’s commitment to gender equality and human rights further supports marginalized communities.
Through its emphasis on sustainable materials and environmental impact, Ten Thousand Villages has also shown that fair trade can be a viable way to promote sustainable economic development. By shopping at Ten Thousand Villages, consumers can support these efforts and make a difference in the lives of artisans around the world.
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