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Crafting to Combat Poverty

Posted by Lisa on April 6th, 2009 at 01:49pm

For most of us, making our favorite crafts is nothing more than a hobby that we use to relax and to take our minds off of the stresses created by our careers and our families. We might knit, crochet, paint or make scrapbooks to create something beautiful for ourselves and to unwind. Hardly any of us think of our favorite crafts as an essential source of income.

Traidcraft, a company based in the United Kingdom, has come up with an innovative way to fight poverty in developing countries. They help impoverished people transform their lives by paying them a fair wage to craft goods that are later sold all over the world. Because of Traidcraft, Chut, a woman living in Southern Vietnam, earns enough money to feed herself, her husband and their three children.

Chut is a member of the Tan Hiep village basket group, and goes to the group three times per week to collect the materials she needs to weave baskets. Chut is able to earn money doing something she enjoys, and she gets paid a fair wage to do so. Traidcraft gives Chut and many other women the opportunity to be independent and earn money in a safe working environment. Do you find Chut’s story inspiring? Do you think American companies should follow Traidcraft’s lead and give opportunities for crafters in underdeveloped countries to earn a fair wage? Would you go out of your way to buy items crafted by people like Chut in underdeveloped countries?

Read Chut’s story, and other stories, here:

http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/buying_fair_trade/people_behind_products/crafts/chut.htm