Some of our
Artisan Co-ops

UPAVIM (United to Live Better) is a co-op in Guatemala City, begun in the 1980's by a group of widows who's husbands were killed in the war.  Because they work together to create their beautiful crafts, the co-op has been able to establish  a medical clinic, a Montessori school for their children, a dental clinic and most recently they have opened a bakery.  The co-op has it's home in a 3 story cement block building and produces jewelry, nativity sets, purses, and accessories.

Baskets of Cambodia represent a village in northern Cambodia that  markets baskets rivaling the sweet grass baskets of the Carolina coast.  They are delicate yet sturdy, intricately woven baskets that provide a livelihood for 600 residents of their village. The co-op strives to produce eco-friendly products of original design that are labor friendly, and exhibit great craftsmanship and quality. At the same time, they produce higher worker salaries in their fields than most other businesses or charities in Cambodia.

BeadforLife (Uganda) Eradicates Poverty: One Bead at a Time
BeadforLife is a model of empowering Africans, finding solutions to poverty, and joining with people around the world who want to make a difference. Since 2004, BeadforLife has provided sustainable income for Ugandan women and their families by selling their beautiful jewelry, handmade from recycled paper. The women are HIV+ mothers, refugees from a brutal civil war, former prostitutes and other impoverished people.

Before joining BeadforLife, all of the members struggled to get by on less than $1 a day. The average beader now makes more than $2000 a year during their membership – five to seven times more than they made before. BeadforLife acts as a ladder out of poverty, providing women not only income, but entrepreneurial training, business funding, health programs, and the chance for women to build a home of their own. With great ingenuity, beaders have started small ventures such as a poultry business, or a vegetable stall. The beaders, directly and indirectly, support over 4000 other people, who enjoy better health, housing and education.

Table fabrics, such as hand woven table runners from Nepal, tablecloths from Central China,  placemats and napkins from Guatemala

Table Accessories: Onyx candles from Pakistan, tea sets from Indonesia, heatable trivets from Guatemala and many other gift items.

Hand bags, shopping bags and purses from countries such as India, Guatemala, Cambodia and Mexico

Jewelry - necklaces and earrings - made in India by Afghanistan refugees, co-ops in Guatemala, Nepal, Peru and Kenya

Clothing: Shirts, blouses and vests from Nepal, Ghana and Peru

Stone sculptures from the Kisii people of Kenya, the Shona people of Zimbabwe and figures made of riverstone in Haiti

Unique baskets of all sizes, from places like Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nicaragua, and many African nations.

Artisans in Vietnam and the Philippines create vases and boxes from recycled newspapers and magazines. The women in northern Uganda create recycled paper necklaces and earrings.

Musical instruments: Flutes, didgeridoos, drums and other hand percussion are available from India, Cameroon, Indonesia, and Kenya

Food: Fairly traded coffee, tea and chocolate products are best sellers.

Greeting cards with a different look and message, and posters also are available