Alliance for Artisan Enterprise Founding Member Directory

Updated November 2012 Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

Contents Alternatives ...... 2 ByHand Consulting ...... 2 The Coca-Cola Company ...... 2 Federation Sahalandy ...... 3 Full Circle Exchange ...... 3 Gahaya Links ...... 3 Global Goods Partners ...... 3 HAND/EYE ...... 4 Indego ...... 4 Independent Member ...... 4 International Folk Art Market—Santa Fe ...... 5 Kandahar Treasure ...... 5 The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) ...... 6 Nest ...... 6 United States Agency for International Development: The Office of Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (GenDev) ...... 6 United States Department of State: Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues(S/GWI) ...... 7 SERRV ...... 7 SEWA ...... 8 United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ...... 8 Vital Voices ...... 9 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc...... 9 WEConnect International ...... 10 west elm ...... 10 The West Foundation ...... 10

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

Alternatives Alternatives is a multi -disciplinary design agency that works with clients to maximize their image. The firm develops and implements innovative strategies and visual solutions for business, brand and product success. Alternatives has worked with clients from a wide range of industries, such as art, jewelry, and non-profit. http://altny.com/

The Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open- minded dialogue. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote nonpartisan inquiry and an appreciation for timeless values. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, and New Delhi, and leadership programs in Africa and Central America. http://www.aspeninstitute.org/

ByHand Consulting ByHand Consulting offers a comprehensive range of product design, marketing and training programs and expertise to help artisan enterprises reach new export markets and help US buyers source new artisan products. http://byhandconsulting.com/

The Coca -Cola Company The Coca -Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. 5by20 is The Coca-Cola Company's global commitment to enable the economic empowerment of 5 million women entrepreneurs across the company's value chain by 2020. Collaborating with non-governmental organizations, governments, and businesses, 5by20 is breaking down the economic and social barriers that can prevent women's success in business by providing business skills training, access to financial assets and services, and connections to networks of peers and mentors. The Coca-Cola Company's 5by20 initiative is giving millions of women opportunities to build their businesses, support their families, and build their communities, while inspiring more to do the same. http://www.coca colacompany.com/stories/5by20

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

Federation Sahalandy Located in a tiny mountain town in Madagascar called Sandrandahy, Federation Sahalandy is made up of 7 silk/cotton weaving cooperatives and associations. Working with endemic silk products in Madagascar is not only economically viable for weavers and vendors alike; it is also a significant part of Madagascar’s rich cultural heritage. SAHALANDY’s goals reside in the improvement of the standard of

living of each individual weaver.

http://www.sahalandy.org/

Full Circle Exchange Launched in 2008, Full Circle Exc hange is a non -profit social enterprise dedicated to empowering women and whole communities to rise above poverty through economic opportunities that are sustainable, holistic and dignified. Full Circle is committed to bring artisan produced, socially conscious and affordable consumer goods such as coffee, tea, chocolate, textiles, home decor, jewelry and accessories to the U.S. marketplace. Its goal is to create sustainable futures and positive social impacts for the artisans, their families and their communities. http://www.fullcircleexchange.com/

Gahaya Links Founded after the devastating 1994 Rwanda Genocide that left over 1 million dead, Gahaya Links is a for-profit Rwandan handicraft company based on the simple principle of women economic empowerment through fair-trade. Today, Gahaya Links is a growing network of over 4,000 weavers across the country organized in 52 cooperatives. It became the first Rwandan craft export company to benefit from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). http://www.gahayalinks.com/

Global Goods Partners Global Goods Partners (GGP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty and promoting social justice. GGP sells handmade, fair trade products in order to improve the economic status of women in marginalized communities around the world. Working in partnership with nearly 40 artisan groups, which collectively employ over 3,000 women in close to 20 countries, GGP provides technical assistance, product development, operational expertise and small grants in healthcare, education, training and infrastructure. With this support, GGP is empowering women to create sustainable change -

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

advancing the health and well -being of their families and communities. GGP's online store offers socially conscious consumers a direct connection to its artisan partners. www.globalgoodspartners.org

HAND/EYE Through documenting and disseminating artisan work, and through hands-on programming, HAND/EYE Fund explores the nexus between design and development, culture and commerce, art and craft, and environment and ethics. HAND/EYE’s goal is to create opportunity for artisans worldwide, and to inspire smart, ethical, inspired decisions among exporters, designers, artists, wholesalers and importers,

retailers, and consumers. http://handeyemagazine.com

Indego Africa Indego Africa is a nonprofit social enterprise that lifts women -owned businesses in Rwanda toward sustainable economic independence through access to markets and education. Indego partners with for- profit cooperatives of more than 400 women artisans in Rwanda and exports, markets, and sells their jewelry, accessories, and home decor on its online store and to more than 80 retail stores across the U.S. and Europe. Profits from sales and donations are then pooled to fund training programs in management, entrepreneurship, literacy, technology and health. These programs are administered by top Rwandan university students from socially-vulnerable backgrounds. http://www.indegoafrica.org/

Independent Member Clare Smith, President Emeritus, Aid to Artisans: Smith worked as an artist herself until the mid-seventies when she and her husband became involved in the business of importing folk art from . Soon, Smith built up an invaluable body of knowledge on the global craft market through running her own import business. Slowly, yet undeniably, Smith became an expert in this small and specialized field, which led to her becoming the president of Aid to Artisans and a pioneer in creating a sustainable global craft market for over 20 years. Smith’s leadership and dedication to the mission of Aid to Artisans over the past twenty years has produced nothing short of extraordinary results. Artisans from all around the world have been successful in selling their products through mainstream outlets such as Neiman Marcus, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Pier 1 Imports and The New York Times Magazine. Clare firmly believes that artisans are capable, innovative and skilled people, who when empowered, can

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

become competitive tradesmen in the global craft market. Although Smith has stepped down as the Director of Aid to Artisans, she remains active in crafts through HAND/EYE Fund.

International Folk Art Market —Santa Fe The International Folk Art Market —Santa Fe is a results -oriented entrepreneurial 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides a venue for master traditional artists to display, demonstrate and sell their work. By providing opportunities for folk artists to succeed in the global marketplace, the Market creates economic empowerment and improves the quality of life in communities where folk artists live. The mission of the Market is to foster economic and cultural sustainability for folk artists and folk art worldwide and to create intercultural exchange opportunities that unite the peoples of the world. The Market fulfills its mission by providing opportunities for some of the world’s finest folk artists to participate in an annual festive, two-day event. Every July, more than 150 select folk artists from over 54 countries travel to historic Santa Fe where thousands of national and international visitors gather to admire and buy distinct folk art forms that express the world’s diverse cultures. Many of the Market artists are from developing countries in Africa, , , Central Asia, Eurasia, and the where they confront daunting political, social, and environmental conditions. Some Market participants also include women’s cooperatives and humanitarian organizations whose work supports improving economic conditions and the quality of life for many- sometimes hundreds- of folk artists in their home communities. http://www.folkartmarket.org/

Kandahar Treasure Kandahar Treasure employs women artisans from the Kandahar area in order to develop an economic base for the province and support the advancement of women throughout Afghanistan. It offers home décor items, such as pillows and tablecloths, as well as clothing and accessories embellished with a uniquely Afghan style of embroidery

(KhamaK.) http://www.kandahartreasure.com/

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) The Museum of Arts and Design (“MAD”) explores the blur zone between art, design, and craft today. Accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1991, MAD focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the artisanal to the digital. http://www.madmuseum.org/

Nest Nest is a nonprofit dedicated to identifying and collaborating with responsible artisan businesses through implementation of training and business development. This collaboration enables each enterprise to become profitable as well as have significant positive social impact. We have searched globally to create a network of existing artisanal workshops with strong leadership, that are scalable, and can transform their communities in one of three ways: by alleviating poverty, empowering women, and/or promoting peace. Through a participatory model, we work with artisans to provide services they need to both preserve and enhance artistic traditions as well as increase the ability to meet the capacity and quality demands of the exporting marketplace. In turn, we are given access to finely crafted goods by master artisans that we match with retailers as diverse as the luxury line Maiyet and mass-market brands like Timberland and FEED Projects. http://www.buildanest.org/

United States Agency for International Development: The Office of Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (GenDev) The Office of Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment (GenDev) is USAID's central point of leadership and expertise on gender issues in social, economic, and political development policies and programs. The GenDev office: o Identifies and analyzes emerging and unaddressed issues of strategic importance to gender equality o Raises awareness within USAID and the interagency of critical policy and technical issues related to gender o Designs and manages selected innovative pilot projects o Advances gender integration throughout USAID programs through programmatic coordination, technical assistance, capacity building, and information dissemination o Coordinates with bilateral and multilateral donors and non- government organizations on gender issues.”

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

Supporting female artisans around the work falls directly in line with GenDev’s mission to empower women economically and socially throughout the world. http://transition.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/wid/

United States Department of State: Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues(S/GWI) The Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) is committed to advancing the rights of women and girls as a central focus of U.S. diplomatic, development and defense interests. The work of the office is organized based on four pillars: 1. Promoting the full engagement of women in the political and economic spheres; 2. Mitigating the impact of violence against women; 3. Addressing underlying socio-economic problems, including women’s access to health and education, food security, and global problems such as climate change; 4. Ensuring that women are integrated as equal participants in reconciliation, post-conflict reconstruction and development in areas affected by conflict. S/GWI also supports women through high-impact grants through embassies to non-government and community based organizations working to meet the needs of women and girls. Artisan work empowers women economically and is thus included in the scope of S/GWI’s work. http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/index.htm

SERR V SERRV is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. For more than 60 years, SERRV has worked to eradicate poverty through direct connections with low-income artisans and farmers by marketing their crafts and foods, finding joint solutions to their challenges, and helping them grow and embrace the future. One of the first alternative trade organizations in the world, SERRV is a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (formerly IFAT) and a founding member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF). http://www.serrv.org/

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

SEWA SEWA is a trade union in India made up of self -employed women workers who earn a living through their own labor or small businesses. Constituting 93% of the female labor force, they do not obtain regular salaried employment with welfare benefits like workers in the organized sector. As a result their work is not counted and hence remains invisible. In fact, women workers themselves remain uncounted, undercounted and invisible. SEWA’s main goals are to organize women workers for full employment. Full employment means employment whereby workers obtain work security, income security, food security and social security (at least health care, child care and shelter). The women of SEWA work to overcome the many constraints and limitations imposed on them by society and the economy, while development activities through the organization strengthen women’s bargaining power and offer them new alternatives.

SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre has been established by the artisan members of SEWA since 2003 to turn their activity in to a business venture with the main objective of promoting access to national and global markets, build a robust supply chain. STFC has been registered as a non-profit company, owned and managed by the women artisans. It is a unique company where artisans themselves are the suppliers and shareholders. It plays a facilitator role by providing a whole range of business development inputs ranging from market readiness, market linkages, market intelligence, product development, quality standardization, R & D, Information systems, access to capital, state of the art technology, to its member-producers to help them become ‘Market Ready’. 15,000 artisans who are the members of the company are also the shareholders of STFC. It markets under the brand ‘Hansiba’. http://www.sewa.org http://www.sewatfc.org

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’S mission and activities. The broad goals and concrete objectives of the international community – as set out in the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – underpin all UNESCO’s strategies and activities. Thus UNESCO’s unique competencies in

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

education, the sciences, culture and communication and information contribute towards the realization of those goals. UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. The Organization focuses, in particular, on two global priorities: Africa and Gender Equality. UNESCO recognized the cultural and socio-economic benefits of craft and artisans. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/

Vital Voices Vital Voices aims to identify, invest in and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities. Vital Voices Global Partnership is the preeminent non-governmental organization (NGO) that identifies trains and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, enabling them to create a better world for us all. One of the organization’s main focuses is to equip women with management, business development, marketing, and communications skills to expand their enterprises, help to provide for their families, and create jobs in their communities. As they work to accomplish their goals, Vital Voices supports and collaborates with women artisans from around the world. http://www.vitalvoices.org/

Wal -Mart Stores, Inc. Wal -Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 200 million customers and members visit our 10,400 stores under 69 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and

employment opportunity.

http://corporate.walmart.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/walmart Twitter: http://twitter.com/walmartnewsroom

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Alliance for Artisan Enterprise: Founding Member Directory

WE Connect International With the hope for a world where women business owners have equal economic opportunities, WE Connect’s mission is to empower women business owners to succeed in global markets. To accomplish this mission, WE Connect acts as a global resource for buyers seeking services and goods from women. They partner with a range of supporting organizations to identify and certify businesses that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by one or more women. There are various levels of membership for partner organizations based on their size and capacity, however all of the corporations and businesses registered with WE Connect have access to some levels of networking and resources. WE Connect is a successful example of a non-profit global network of businesses working to empower women socially and economically, and mirrors the goals and process of the Alliance for Artisans Enterprise. http://www.weconnectinternational.org/

west elm Since it launched in 2002, west elm has been helping people express their personal style at home with authentic, affordable and approachable products. Each season, west elm's talented designers

work closely with independent collaborators and partners to develop exclusive collections that can't be found anywhere else. For example, through a partnership with Etsy.com, many west elm stores offer local collections of art and accessories created by artists in the store region. The brand also offers handcrafted and one-of-a-kind discoveries from around the world, working closely with organizations that support the development of global craft communities. http://www.westelm.com

The West Foundation The West Foundation is a 56 year -old family foundation based in Indianapolis, Indiana which is devoted to assisting efforts to generate sustainable development in the Global South. Areas of funding include creation of livelihoods, community-based healthcare initiatives, women’s education, and environmental healthcare with an emphasis on the development of potable water supplies. Additionally, the foundation occasionally supports programs that promote ethics-based leadership. The West Foundation also consults with young non-profits in preparing for a major gifts program, locates and researches potential grantees for individual donors, and advises other small foundations on best practices in relation to communications with current and potential grantees.

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