Featured Village Store Vendors
Hope Bolivia ~ Village Artisans ~ Global Mamas
Hope Bolivia
WHRI alumni Terry & Kathy Waller
Though among the world’s poorest, many children in the rural village of San Juan Julian, Bolivia, play and laugh while their sisters, mothers and grandmothers handpaint colorful scarves. The group of over 36 women was organized by the Waller family in an effort to help meet basic needs by providing a means of generating income for these families who have so little. Their beautifu
l and primitive handwork is truly a work of the heart as they share their faith as well as their dreams for a better life for themselves and their families through this project of Hope.
Averaging a 3rd-grade education – some cannot write their names – yet they faithfully practice until they can create these beautiful scarves. Some are widows, some are single mothers and some are wives of husbands who are not able to work. Many live in one-room thatched houses with dirt floors and haul water from a more fortunate person’s house. With your help, they will better their lives with a great deal of dignity, as they are joyfully creating something beautiful and unique.
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Village Artisans
WHRI alumni Charlie & Brooke Ramsey
the Ramseys report that the soap and honey produced by the women in a cluster of villages has been successfully marketed and exported. The current focus of the company, Village Artisan, is on extracting essential oils from herbs like lavender for products that require fragrances and special scents.
Village Artisan was created out of the realization of what Westerners could contribute to the already gifted but struggling communities of Asia. Through developing innovative designs, raising the standard of quality, linking local artisans with the global marketplace, and advocating for sustainable development, a whole new paradigm has come to multinational business: a company with a conscience. Artisans from several villages now have the finances for education and better health for their families. Women are also empowered through dignified work and participation in decisions. Since the conception of Village Artisan, the result has been the transformation of not only the individual lives of previously impoverished women and children, but entire communities.
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Global Mamas
Global Mamas is the name brand for goods produced through the efforts of Women in Progress, an international not-for-profit organization assisting women of Africa in attaining economic independence. All proceeds made by Global Mamas’ sales go directly to the women producing the merchandise and to the business development programs carried out by Women in Progress.
Global Mamas is the name brand for goods produced through the efforts of Women in Progress, an international not-for-profit organization assisting women of Africa in attaining economic independence. All proceeds made by Global Mamas’ sales go directly to the women producing the merchandise and to the business development programs carried out by Women in Progress.
Global Mamas is currently a cooperative of 26 small businesses in Ghana. With employees and apprentices, Global Mamas directly benefits over 150 people through producing hand-made clothing and accessories. New businesses will be included as more items are added to the Global Mamas product line. Global Mamas enhances the international marketplace with unique, high quality, handmade apparel, and at the same time provides sustainable livelihoods for women and girls in Africa.
Global Mama’s reduces the economic inequality of women by significantly increasing the revenues and profits of woman-owned businesses in Africa. This in turn increases employee wages, generates new jobs and improves the standard of living. We believe that helping women gain economic independence is the most effective way to reduce dependence on foreign aid and steadily create a prosperous society.
Sales of Global Mamas’ products provide dignity to African women who are now able to earn an honest living through the production of handmade batik products. By helping women to help themselves, Global Mamas is taking small steps towards helping end Africa’s dependence on foreign aid and creating a sustainable society.