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Ten Thousand Villages is a program of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) started in 1946 that pioneered the concept of \"fair trade\" by buying crafts directly from artisans in the developing world and paying a \"living wage.\" more...

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History

In 1946 Edna Ruth Byler, from Akron, Pennsylvania, visited MCC volunteers teaching sewing in Puerto Rico to those living in poverty. The volunteers were searching for ways to better their program and improve the lives of the students.

Byler brought some of the class's pieces back to the United States to sell to friends and family. The demand surprised even her and she soon found herself selling cross-stich needlework from Palestinian refugees and Haitian woodenware. In the 1970's the small project moved out of Byler's basement and became an official program of the MCC.

The program came to be known as SELFHELP Crafts of the World, and kept this name for 20 years. In 1996 the name was changed to Ten Thousand Villages.

Today

Today Ten Thousand Villages has over 70 stores and 180 outlets across North America and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation and the International Fair Trade Association. Ten Thousand Villages sold $15 million worth of \"fair trade\" goods in the United States and another $3 million in Canada between March 2003 and April 2004 (Garriga, 2004). Ten Thousand Villages sold $20 million worth of \"fair trade\" goods in the United States between April 2005 and March 2006.

70% of the artisans who create products for Ten Thousand Villages are women. Crafts are purchased from over thirty countries including Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda, Vietnam, India, Laos, Pakistan, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Nepal, Peru and Guatemala. Artisans are paid 50% of their wage when the order is placed so they have working capital, and the balance when the crafts are delivered in the country in which they are made. Money is not \"sent back\" when crafts are sold in stores; those crafts are paid for before they ever reach North America.

The organization works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed, focusing on areas where the need is great and access to other markets is limited. The artisans use the income for basic needs such as food, education, health care, and housing.

The stores sell a wide variety of home decor, household items, books, toys and personal items such as jewelry and other accessories. They also sell fair trade food items such as chocolate and coffee. Such foods are often made with organic ingredients.

The stores run as non-profits, relying heavily on volunteer workers. An important part of their mission is knowing the artisans who make the crafts and telling their stories in North America. Ten Thousand Villages also works with other humanitarian organizations; for example, by selling UNICEF greeting cards in their stores.

Read more at Wikipedia.org