Artesan Profile: Sacred Mark Enterprise, Bangladesh
Guest blogger Ishrat Jahan Deepa, Unit Manager – Sacred Mark Enterprise Established in March 2009, by the Mennonite Central Committee in Bangladesh (MCCB) Sacred Mark Enterprise provides alternative employment for former sex workers. The stories of these women involve abuse, victimization, trauma, and pain. A widow, an orphan, a rape victim, a mother with no […]
Separating humanitarian mission and business
The struggle between meeting humanitarian and development needs with that of building a retail business, is one with which we at the Artesan Gateway are all too familiar. In fact, the tension is all too real for many a social enterprise and NGO, who have the dual mission of providing skills training and employment […]
Artesan Profile: The Carpet Workshop, Bangladesh
Established in 1997, Protibondhi Community Center (PCC) was set-up to work with people with disabilities and their families. Founded by Taize brothers in Mymensingh, a city 125km north of Dhaka, Bangladesh, PCC provides health, education, medical and skills training through self-help groups and income generating projects, including the Mohila Women’s Club under which the Carpet […]
Valuing handmade and ethically produced products
Pricing of products is often a quandary for many an artisan and brand, particularly when the product is handmade and/or upcycled. There are many factors to consider when pricing handmade products, aside from the physical resources, there is skill, time and uniqueness of product. Sue Reed, from the Woolly Pedlar tackles this dilemma in her […]
Artesan Profile: Bunosilo, India
Tell us about Bunosilo. Bunosilo, started in November 2015, So it’s just 4 months old now! We provide good quality, well fitting, handcrafted clothes made out of hand loomed fabric to the customers worldwide. We aim at promoting the dying craft techniques of our country and to generate sustainable employment opportunities to them. We also […]
Travel Tales from Yennie Tse, Founder of Fourth Sector Collection
Through Yennie Tse’s love for creativity and design, coupled with her trained background and experience in business and community development, she has created the Fourth Sector Collection, a social enterprise that is now in the research and development phase. Fourth Sector will aim to create sustainable partnerships by working with artisan weavers in developing countries […]
Artesan Profile: Hands of Hope Artisan Carvers, Kenya
By Geoffrey Tamaro, Hands of Hope Artisan Carvers Hands of Hope Artisans Carvers Self Help Group (HHAC)is a registered charity in Kenya. The project was established in response to the tremendous number of vulnerable artisans, particularly women and youth. Located in the rural town of Tabaka,400km North West of Nairobi, the project’s goals are to […]
Artesan Profile : Connected In Hope
Earlier this month we featured Minke Dancha in our series celebrating International Women’s Day, who works with Connected In Hope. We caught up founder, Ryane Murnane to learn more about the organization. My background is in social work, and my early career was spent in Atlanta working with pregnant women who were battling drug addiction. […]
Artesan Profile : Lumago Designs, Philippines
Lumago, means “to blossom” in the national Filipino language, and was founded by an American Social worker, Whitney Fleming, in 2011 when a huge typhoon devastated parts of the impoverished community on our city’s dumpsite, located next to the Banica River. Subsequently, to find another source of income, a group of women from the community […]
Social Impact Stories: Rahaf, Darzah Designs/CCF – West Bank
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we are showcasing the individuals who make up the artisan industry. Today, we are honoured to present Rahaf who works with Darzah Designs and Child’s Cup Full. My name is Rahaf and I am really happy with the work here because I work with something enjoy and i’m able to […]