Case Study: Rwanda
In just two years, we have increased our group of basket weavers from a few women in a small village to over 600 women in a sizable province. Beyond paying above local market prices for each basket purchased, EDImports has been instrumental in the following:
Building longer-term economic viability by creating a program to help women borrow and save money for the first time in their lives.
Creating a self-sustaining cycle of sustenance by engaging a very successful program to donate goats - the lifeblood of their physical well-being -- to artisan families. Baby goats are passed on to another needy family.
Adding new skills and sources of income by working with our sales partner, One World Projects, to have 20 knitting machines donated to women in Rwanda through an Aid to Artisans grant. These machines help women in United Nations Refugee camps generate income by knitting scarves and ponchos.
Creating a permanent infrastructure that will enable others to learn by assisting Rwanda Partners in their efforts to help build a community craft center where women can come together to weave, to socialize, and to store their crafts before they are exported.
|
|
