Ten Thousand Villages
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Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets
handcrafted A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...
products Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution Mathematics * Produ ...
made by disadvantaged
artisan An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...
s from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries. As one of the world’s largest and oldest fair trade organizations, Ten Thousand Villages cultivates long-term buying relationships in which artisans receive a fair price for their work and consumers have access to gifts, accessories, and home décor from around the world. Ten Thousand Villages is a founding member of the
World Fair Trade Organization The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), is a global association of 401 organizations who are committed to improving the livelihoods of economically marginalised producers. WFTO has members in 76 countries. Members are primarily fair trade enterpr ...
(WFTO) and a certified member of the
Fair Trade Federation The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is a nonprofit trade association that provides support to and promotes North American businesses that they identify as being fully committed to the principles of fair trade.The Fair Trade Federation. http://www.fai ...
(FTF).


History

The original philosophy of Ten Thousand Villages was inspired by
Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...
values including compassion, service, mutual aid, and peacemaking. The founding of Ten Thousand Villages in the mid-twentieth century marks the beginning of a movement later to be called "fair trade". Edna Ruth Byler was moved to take action by the poverty she witnessed during a trip to
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
in 1946. Byler began a grassroots campaign among her family and friends in the United States by selling handcrafted products out of the trunk of her car. She sought to provide sustainable economic opportunities for artisans in developing countries by creating a viable marketplace for their products. Over 30 years, Byler worked to connect individual entrepreneurs in developing countries with market opportunities in North America. In the 1970s the small project moved out of Byler's basement to become SELFHELP Crafts of the World, an official program of
Mennonite Central Committee Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief service, and peace agency representing fifteen Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba. ...
. In 1996, SELFHELP became Ten Thousand Villages, a retail company that now has over 100 stores in the United States and Canada. The new name was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi who said, “India is not to be found in its few cities but in the 700,000 villages.” By 2008, the company’s sales had surpassed $25.5 million, one third of which was paid to artisans directly. The other two thirds covered importing, storage, marketing, retail costs, and administration. In 2012, Ten Thousand Villages and Mennonite Central Committee entered a partnership agreement. Ten Thousand Villages is no longer wholly owned by MCC. In June 2020, Ten Thousand Villages Canada closed corporate operations. Through a licensing agreement, four stores using the Ten Thousand Villages brand remained open. A few other stores rebranded and continued operating independently.


Artisan partners

Ten Thousand Villages encourages artisans to employ production methods that are environmentally sustainable and to use recycled and natural materials whenever possible. In 2007, Ten Thousand Villages redesigned stores to minimize environmental impact in order to meet what they call their "triple bottom line" of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Ten Thousand Villages establishes long-term trade relationships with groups that work with craftspeople who are in need of work and who produce crafts that are more likely to be sold in North America. Most of these groups are found in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The company often selects artisan partners that provide training and employment to those who have virtually no chance of securing employment in the mainstream labor market. Many of these artisans are disadvantaged because of disability or gender. Ten Thousand Villages also purchases from export businesses that market handicraft products on behalf of artisans who lack access to markets. These groups provide tools and sustainable sources of income for small artisan workshops to develop their infrastructure and build business capacity. Prices are determined by a combination of what the artisan believes fair and demand in the foreign market. Artisans are paid up-front fifty percent of the agreed-upon price in order to help them pay for the raw materials used in their products. The other fifty percent is paid once the products are complete. The artisans are paid in full before their products are sold in North America, even if they never get sold. Ten Thousand Villages’ marketing director Doug Dirks estimated that market prices abroad are up to five times what is paid to the artisan. He said that his company is willing to take that risk because they feel that it is important to what they do. Most of the artisans in these countries cannot obtain business loans from their local banks. Ten Thousand Villages designers and buyers collaborate with artisans so that traditional methods are employed, but using colors and styles which appeal to North American markets. The company encourages artisans to use sustainable practices. For example, artisans are advised to use natural or recycled materials in their products.


Today

The Ten Thousand Villages USA headquarters is currently located in
Akron, Pennsylvania Akron is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 4,169, History Akron was incorporated as a borough in 1895. Before this point, a small village called New Berlin sat at the center of the bor ...
. The company uses sales profits to increase purchases from artisan partners and to expand its domestic distribution channels. In 2006-2007 fiscal year, the company increased purchases from artisans by more than one million dollars. Ten Thousand Villages is a wholesaler as well as a retailer, with stores in America and Canada. In May 2020, the Canadian branch of Ten Thousand Villages will shut down, though a small number of independently-owned locations may remain open.


Merchandise

Ten Thousand Villages offers handmade home décor and gifts from around the world, including baskets, sculptures, jewelry, instruments, toys, tableware, planters, linens, stationery, various holiday items and other accessories. Most Ten Thousand Villages stores also sell fair trade food items such as chocolate, tea, rice, dried fruit and coffee.


Media

In 2006,
Make Trade Fair Make Trade Fair was a campaign organized by Oxfam International to promote trade justice and fair trade among governments, institutions, and multinational corporations. As of 2022, the website is defunct. It first appears to have gone offline ...
was released, a compilation CD to raise awareness and funds for Ten Thousand Villages. In 2005, Ten Thousand Villages released "The Power of Trading Fairly," a DVD highlighting artisan partners from Bangladesh, Guatemala and Kenya, and how their lives have been improved by fair trade.


Impact

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Ten Thousand Villages has had life-altering effects on its artisan partners. Its fair trade practices directly support tens of thousands of artisans around the world. In 2009 the company conducted their “One Reason Why” campaign which showcased some of these anecdotal stories. The campaign revolved around printed and digital materials (such as bookmarks and DVDs) that presented artisans’ “one reason why” fair trade had made a difference in their lives. Also, some of the generally small artisan groups or families have transformed into full-fledged businesses that employ hundreds to thousands of people. However, despite this evidence, little research has been conducted to determine the quantitative impact of Ten Thousand Villages and its worldwide fair trade partnerships.


References

*Garriga, Maria. New Haven, Conn., fair trade shop owners pay Third World artisans fairly. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: 2004-12-26. *


External links


Official US site.

Official Canadian site.


at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online {{fair trade Alternative trading organizations Fair trade brands Mennonitism in Pennsylvania Mennonitism in the United States Mennonitism in Canada Organizations established in 1946