The start of many beautiful conversations
by guest blogger Mary Louise Marino Artesan Gateway friend and supporter Mary Louise Marino has recently embarked on a three month journey in Asia, in part to enable the launch of Indigo Lion Artisan Boutique. We are delighted to share her reflections at the start of this journey. In these past two weeks, still at […]
Artesan Profile: Prokritee, Bangladesh
Late last year, we featured Swapan Das (Executive Director at Prokritee and Chairperson of ECOTA) as he shared his thoughts on Fair Trade. We caught up with Swapan recently to learn more about Prokritee, a fair trade company in Bangladesh that supports over 1,500 artisans in rural areas. Founded in 2001 as a an auxiliary […]
Artesan Profile: Amarella, Mexico
We recently caught up with Lina Moreno Velez, founder of Amarella to learn more about how she was inspired to set up an organization that supports and preserves Mexican artisans and their culture. Originally from Colombia, we were intrigued by her story and vision and wanted to share this with you. The idea to set […]
National Association for Indian Crafts
Jaya Jaitly, founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, a national association for Indian crafts, has spent her career working with Indian craftsmen throughout the subcontinent, empowering the disenfranchised to develop a sustainable livelihood through crafts. In a recent interview on Yourstory.com, Jaya talks about the path that led her to the career that has, in many […]
Social Impact Stories: Jeanne Nyirangiinshuti, Songa Designs Rwanda
Showcasing the individuals who make up the artisan industry. Songa Designs My name is Jeanne Nyirangiinshuti. They used to call me Mama Kibaki. I am working at a cooperative called Buranga mean ‘Beauty’, since 2008 and I am in charge of quality control. I am 34 years old, married with 3 kids. I have finished […]
Social Entrepreneurs are the way forward!
As many of the artisan groups with whom we’ve networked with have been founded by social entrepreneurs, we wanted to share this great article and interview with the CEO and founder of Ashoka, Bill Drayton. Featured on the NextBillion’s blog, The Imperative of Change – An Interview with Bill Drayton, provides some great insight on […]
Basic Considerations for Developing a Product Line
By Guest Blogger Nishant Das Thinking of developing a product line? Here are a few things to consider (although transferable to any product line, this primarily focusses on considerations for artisan groups). 1. External (Visible) Considerations A ‘product line’ is a broad term, so first determine what type of line you want to develop. Here […]
Fair Trade: Thoughts From the Field
Fair Trade is a movement that has gained momentum over the last several years, and its principles it has excited for decades. The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) has defined 10 Principles of Fair Trade which include: Creating Opportunities for Economically Disadvantaged Producers;Transparency and Accountability; Fair Trading Practices; Payment of a Fair Price; Ensuring no […]
Artesan Profile: True Moringa
The Artesan Gateway recently caught up with True Morgina co-founder Emily Cunningham to learn about the organization and their venture Made Conscious. AG: Tell us about True Moringa. How did you come to be co-founder of the organization? EC: My co-founder Kwami and I began working with small farming families in Ghana in 2012- and […]
#TrueBeautyGivesBack
The Artesan Gateway recently learned of True Moringa’s #TrueBeautyGivesBack campaign and we wanted to spread the news! Today they are highlighting Zesa, an Indian organization that provide vocational education in jewelry and fabric design and life skills training, to girls who are survivors of human trafficking. Many of these girls go on to put these […]