10,000 Villages joins in Logan to help third-world markets
Take a trip around the world and learn new things about different cultures without even leaving Cache Valley.
At Ten Thousand Villages, a store dedicated to promoting fair trade, you will be able to have a glimpse of life in countries that you might not otherwise be able to visit.
According to the Web site for Ten Thousand Villages, “Ten Thousand Villages is a founding member of the International Fair Trade Association, an organization that includes over 200 members in 55 countries, including many artisan groups in developing countries. We are part of a worldwide movement that is striving to improve the livelihood of disadvantaged people in developing countries through the expansion of fair trade.”
Their mission is to provide vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.
Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed and this income helps pay for food, education, healthcare or housing.
Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit program of Mennonite Central Committee, the relief and development agency of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in North America.
Sally Keller is the manager of the Ten Thousand Villages store in Logan. She said that the people involved with Ten Thousand Villages help cooperatives get started by deciding on a fair price for the product and paying for half of their goods up front. This helps the artisans cover the cost of production. The other half of the payment is given to the co-op after the product is finished.
Keller explained that volunteer work is a crucial part of Ten Thousand Villages. This eliminates the middle man and maximizes the profit for the artisans.
Volunteers working for Ten Thousand Villages take care of the packaging, shipping, customs, warehousing and distributing of the products to over 160 stores across North America. Even the salespeople in the stores are working for free. About 35 different countries are represented through their handiwork at the Logan store.
Some of Keller’s favorite items in the store are hand-embroidered tablecloths that come from India.
“They are made by women who belong to a group called Saint Mary’s Handcrafts Co-op,” Keller said. “I had an opportunity to visit the cooperative and am amazed at what they have accomplished.”
Keller described how the women who make the tablecloths get along so well together even though they come from very different religious backgrounds – some of them Muslim and some Hindu.
“There is friendship across cultural lines – it is an empowering thing for them,” Keller said.
Many of the artisans that create crafts distributed by Ten Thousand Villages are women who can bring a second income to the home and gain an increased respect from their husbands and community. Other artisans are mentally and/or physically disabled people who would not be able to find work elsewhere.
Hand-painted river rocks from Vietnam are the number one best seller. The process begins with a river rock that is coated with 10 coats of a natural black lacquer to make them dark and smooth. Each coat takes a about a week to dry.
A goldfish appliqué is made out of gold foil and is applied and sealed with a final coat of clear lacquer. The rocks, which take over 100 days to complete, sell for $7.
Cookbooks that focus on making things out of food you have on hand and using produce that is in season are another popular item. They sell out so fast that Keller said she has a hard time keeping them in stock.
There are many more items, such as beaded jewelry from Africa, handmade dolls from Peru and puzzles from Sri Lanka. Keller points out that each craft has its own story about the people who made it and where it came from. Some of the pieces are made using recycled newspaper, phonebooks and pop cans, which promote an environmentally friendly and affordable product.
“The majority of items in the store are under $20,” Keller said.
Ten Thousand Villages is located at 146 N. 100 East and is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Keller says to watch for extended hours around the holidays and a new name, which will be Global Village Gifts.
Keller advises anyone interested in volunteering at the store to come down during operating hours and fill out a volunteer form.
nnaylor@cc.usu.edu
Sally Keller holds our their most popular item, a goldfish river rock from a river in nirthern Vietnam. These rocks are carefully coasted with a natural black lacquer to make them dark and smooth. Each coat takes up to one week to dry and more than eight coats are applied.
These small mats are a popular item at 10,000 Villages. They are made from recycled newspaper and phonebooks. There are also picture frames and coasters made from the same material.
This is one of the most expensive baskets at 10,000 Villages. It is made in Ugande by women who are widos from the war. Keller said their whole livelihood comes from making these baskets.