Ten Thousand Villages

Template:Short description Template:Template other Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit, fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by over 120 artisan groups, in more than 35 countries. It is among the earliest organizations involved in the fair trade movement, and it facilitates the sale of gifts, accessories, and home décor created by artisans who receive a fair price for their work. Ten Thousand Villages is a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) and a certified member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF).

History

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Logo of SELFHELP Crafts of the World, later to become Ten Thousand Villages.

Edna Ruth Byler founded the organization after witnessing extreme poverty during a trip to Puerto Rico in 1946.

With the help of the Mennonite Central Committee, Byler began selling handcrafted products from the trunk of her car, eventually expanding to a storefront called Self Help Crafts in 1958. She aimed to create a marketplace for artisans’ products as a source of income in developing countries. The original philosophy of Ten Thousand Villages was inspired by Mennonite values, including compassion, service, mutual aid, and peacemaking.

In the 1970s, the small project moved out of Byler's basement; to become SELFHELP Crafts of the World, an official program of the Mennonite Central Committee.

In 1994, the company became a member of the Fair Trade Federation.

In 1996, SELFHELP became Ten Thousand Villages. The new name was inspired by a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “India is not to be found in its few cities, but in the 700,000 villages”.

In 2006–2007, the company increased purchases from artisans, by more than US$1 million. 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.

By 2008, the company's sales had surpassed US$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 the Mennonite Central Committee entered into a partnership agreement. Ten Thousand Villages is no longer wholly owned by MCC.

In 2019, Gordon Zook became the company's CEO.

In June 2020, Ten Thousand Villages Canada closed corporate operations. Four stores using the Ten Thousand Villages brand remained open thanks to a licensing agreement. A few other stores rebranded and continued operating independently.

In May 2022, Dan Alonso was appointed as the new CEO of Ten Thousand Villages, succeeding Gordon Zook.

In January 2025, it was announced that the 13 company-owned US retail locations would close, leaving 21 independent non-profit-board run stores as their brick-and-mortar channel. Ten Thousand Villages will continue e-commerce retailing as well as wholesaling to their fair-trade affiliates.

Artisan partners

Ten Thousand Villages encourages artisans to employ environmentally sustainable productions methods and to use recycled and natural materials whenever possible.

Ten Thousand Villages establishes long-term trade relationships with groups that work with craftspeople who need work and who produce crafts that are 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.

Artisans are paid up-front fifty percent of the agreed-upon price 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.

Operations

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Ten Thousand Villages store in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

The Ten Thousand Villages USA headquarters is currently located in Akron, Pennsylvania. The organization operates as both a wholesaler and a retailer.

Merchandise

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

Media

In 2005, Ten Thousand Villages released a DVD titled The Power of Trading Fairly, which highlighted artisan partners from Bangladesh, Guatemala, and Kenya, showcasing how their lives had been improved through fair trade.

In 2006, the organization released Make Trade Fair, a compilation CD created to raise awareness and funds in support of Ten Thousand Villages.

Impact

The fair trade practices of Ten Thousand Villages 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. Some of the generally small artisan groups or families have transformed into full-fledged businesses that employ hundreds to thousands of people. However, 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.
• Ten Thousand Villages at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online