Quazi is a cutting edge craft company that transforms waste magazines into original accessories. Quazi’s local artisans are trained to make the jewelry and are offered permanent contracts which give them job security and sustainable incomes. As well as their monthly salary, they have a safe and supportive working environment and are able to live an independent life where they will be able to thrive.  The women face countless daily struggles, many of them have over 7 children that they need to care for and send to school.  Being employed by Quazi means that they are able to receive a sustainable income and enroll in a school fees savings program.  Their employment also allows them to begin to get out of the cycle of poverty and allows them to care for their family.

Doron, an entrepreneur and designer, began Quazi with one artisan and the concept of a simple rolled paper bead earring and has since grown the company into a sustainable business employing over 20 artisans full time.

Our necklaces are named after two of the artisans, Bonsile and Josephine.  Bonsile is an extremely hard working woman who is happy to share her skills and ideas with other women.  She started with Quazi as a seamstress, supporting four people on her salary plus paying school fees for three children. She is a true believer in sharing skills and says “to teach each other is the best way to support other.”

Josephine is a softly spoken, eloquent and independent woman who started with Quazi this year.  Because of her employment with Quazi she feels that she is able to spend more time with her daughter and still find fulfillment at her work.  Currently she is in the process of acquiring land which is an incredible achievement as a woman in Swaziland. She says that if she could give her daughter anything it would be “to be independent and not rely on other people”.  With your purchase, you help provide a safe work environment and other opportunities for Bonsile, Josephine, their families, and many other women in Swaziland!

 Our Bonsile and Josephine necklaces would make great gifts, each with a powerful story to wear proudly.  With your purchase, you are directly helping break the cycle of poverty for Bonsile, Josephine, their families, and many other women in Swaziland! Buy your necklace here!

Choose a Gift | Change a Life

To browse all our Holiday Fair Trade gifts click HERE!

Featured Video : Everything Changes from Story Company on Vimeo.

1. Ladder Necklace | Story Company  // 2. Chevron Pillow Cases |  Story Company // 3. Natasha Envelope Clutch | Basik 855 // 4. Bonsile Necklace | Story Company  // 5. Jhoomar Earrings | Story Company  // 6. Thai Pencil Holder | Hand Crafting Justice  // 7. Arrow Clutch | Sseko Designs  // 8. Never Ending Scarf | Story Company

To view all of our new Winter Collection, click HERE!

20% off AND a GIVEAWAY!

 To celebrate Fair Trade Tuesday we are offering 20% off your order! Just use the code “FAIRTUES” at checkout! (Valid today only! November 27, 2012)

GIVEAWAY DETAILS!  We are giving away a piece of jewelry from our new Winter Collection!  And YOU could win it!  It’s simple…

1. Share this blogpost on your Facebook  and encourage your friends and family choose a gift that changes a life this season by shopping at www.storycompany.com for Fair Trade Tuesday! You can even give them the 20% off code:) All you need to do is copy and paste this link into your status: http://blog.storycompany.com/fair-trade-tuesday-shop-story-company-and-get-20-off/

2. Leave a comment here to tell us that you shared this blogpost and we will enter you to win!

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One Thing.

That’s all it takes – choosing to do one thing to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Leave us some love in the comments — which piece is your favorite?

Shop Now Meet Our Designers Blog Pinterest photos by Heidi Leigh photography

Can you imagine losing both your parents at the age of 12 and being forced to flee your homeland?  That was the reality for Therese, a precious woman who barely escaped the 1994 genocide in Rwanda by fleeing to Burundi. There she experienced more death threats, homelessness and starvation. When she returned to Rwanda, all that she had known was gone. She became pregnant after additional abuse at the hands of “friends” that took her in. Miraculously, she found several cousins still alive and as the oldest of them, Therese became the head of this new household. Life is very hard anywhere for a woman who is pregnant and alone, with no job skills, but even more so for a woman living in a third-world country with no safety net. The future could have looked completely different for Therese had she not connected with Africa New Life’s Family Center in Kigali, Rwanda. There she received job training, counseling and life skills support. Therese now has a job as a seamstress and helps make handbags and other products for New Life Threads. With a well-paying job and a healthy work environment, she is now able to support her family. She has hope, security, and she is smiling again!

The idea for New Life Threads was conceived when the founders were introduced to Africa New Life’s Family Center during a trip to Rwanda. They met the students and graduates, heard their stories, and were inspired by their talent, inner strength and desire to provide for their families. They saw the beautiful things that they made with colorful African fabrics and knew that there was a market for these items in America. They returned home and started a nonprofit with the goal of generating sales to support these women and their families. New Life Threads is 100% volunteer-led and 100% of their profits fund proven programs that are helping abandoned women, rescued prostitutes, single mothers and genocide survivors in Rwanda. Hope, dignity, even happiness become a reality for these women. There are many more women in Rwanda like Therese who desperately need hope and deserve a better life.

Thank you for changing their stories with your purchase of one of these New Life Threads bags.

Written by Bonnie Nieuwstraten

According to Jennifer Davis, who founded Beaded Hope in 2005, “Betty is hard NOT to love! The picture of her with her hand on her hip is just classic Betty…you just want to be around her because she fills the room with joy.” It is obvious that Betty, (pictured above) is full of spunk and fun! As a single woman in her 40’s with no family, she is sometimes able to find temporary work in highway construction; a dangerous place for a woman. But now with the help of Beaded Hope, Betty can most often be found beading and singing with her best friend, and fellow Beaded Hope artist, Nelly. With an infectious laugh Betty will tell you that she hopes to help others in her community who are less fortunate.

Beaded Hope began with a trip to South Africa. Jennifer, who always had dreamed of going to Africa, was invited to go on a group trip to find ways to develop life-long relationships between the two communities of Cincinnati, Ohio and Mamelodi, South Africa. Mamelodi (Mam-eh-load-e) is where, during the 1960s, black citizens were forcibly placed after being removed from their homes during what was known as apartheid. Today, over 20 years after the end of apartheid, the township of nearly 1.5 million people is ravaged by the impacts of HIV/AIDS. With nearly 35% of the township infected, the community struggles with the triple threat of hunger, poverty and disease that is common in areas suffering under the effects of HIV.

Beaded Hope is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable income from the beautiful hand-crafted beadwork made by women in South Africa who have been impacted by the triple threat of hunger, poverty and disease. In addition, Beaded Hope also works with the women to help them understand how to be good employees and what it takes to run their own business. This prepares them for future opportunities in beginning their own start-up business or modeling their new skills for others in their community.

Betty, during one of Beaded Hope’s annual beading workshops, designed the bracelet that is being brought to you by the Story Company. With your purchase of a Beaded Hope bracelet, you are providing the equivalent of nearly 3 ½ days of food to an artist so that she may care for herself and her family.

That makes YOU a Story Changer!

Story written by Jeni Mason, Director of Partnerships

This is what I found after traveling to Cambodia last summer to visit some dear friends, Eric and Ginny Hanson. Eric and Ginny are the founders of In His Steps International, a non-profit ministry based out of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I specifically travelled with a team to Cambodia to work with Sak Saum, an arm of In His Steps which works with women who are in danger of, or have been in trafficking. Sak Saum means “dignity” in Khmai, the Cambodian language. Ginny started Sak Saum four years ago; her desire is to see exploited women find freedom, purpose, healing and love in their own lives and in the lives of their families.

I was privileged to meet and work with all of the Sak Saum girls during my stay in Cambodia. Although it was hard to communicate with them because of the language barrier, we enjoyed our time laughing at each other as they learned English and I tried to learn Khmai, and I began to feel a strong kinship for each of the beautiful girls that were there. They welcomed me and each one of the team I came with open arms – always open to trying new conversations, sharing their food with us, and by showing us genuine love.

One of the women I specifically connected with is Sana, a young woman full of spunk and fun. Sana knew she did not want to follow in the footsteps of her unwed great grandmother, grandma, and mother, so she entered Sak Saum for the training and hope it provided. I could always count on Sana to play tricks on me while I was there, teasing me and giggling every time I fell for them. Sana has a feisty and strong spirit, and has weathered many storms in her life, but she chooses joy, happiness and love. Sana is now married and living a life that will change generations to come.

Something special happened while I was there that I can’t even explain – I found family. Friends, and Sisters – not by blood, but in the depth of my heart. You think when you travel to another country that you will change stories of the people you go to visit, but Sana and all of the the women in Sak Saum changed my story. If you get a chance to take a trip and visit one of our amazing partners I bet you’ll find the same!

Sak Saum has allowed us the privilege of featuring the Sana bag with Story Company. I am honored to present you my sister, Sana’s bag – lovingly crafted for you. By purchasing this bag, you become a Story Changer, just like Sana.

Story written by Jeni Mason, Director of Partnerships

This is Dorcas House: a breathtaking view of the Himalayan foothills surrounds this place and is home to the Himalayan Tapestries and Chhaya Café.

Together, Himalayan Tapestries and Chhaya employ over 20 women. Their vision is to increase the employment opportunities for women in the region. The women are taught various skills such as fine block printing, dyeing, quilting, sewing, hand crafting, baking and food processing.

The women in The Dorcas House are making our beautiful Story Scarves. The printing on this scarf is a story of Ruchita, a college graduate, widowed and remarried at the age of 25. When Ruchita came seeking work at The Dorcas House she was completely broken and disillusioned due to severe abuse (both emotional and Physical) at her home . Through encouragement, love and ongoing development at The Dorcas House, her life has been changed.

Ruchita chose a verse from the book of Isaiah to complete her Story Scarf; by wearing this scarf you have every opportunity to tell her story, and you become a Story Changer too!

Story written by Jeni Mason, Director of Partnerships

The Story Team is excited to share a note from Peter Greer, CEO of the micro-lending enterprise, Hope International. Peter has had a huge impact on the thinking and formation of The Story Company. His book, The Poor will be Glad, is a must read for anyone deeply interested in how to engage with people in developing nations, both from a human and economic perspective.

I’ve had two friends who traveled to Africa and were forever impacted by the overwhelming global needs they saw. They were changed. They couldn’t walk away. Their faith demanded action. And so they acted. They built an orphanage because kids shouldn’t sleep on streets. But after years of this approach, both realized that we cannot address issues like the orphan crisis, the water crisis, and the global sex trade without addressing underlying economic issues. Sex trafficking, the orphan crisis, and the water crises are undergirded by one primary issue: poverty.

We can raid a brothel and pull women out of prostitution… but how will they stay out of the trade unless they have another way to provide for their family?

We can drill a well to find clean water … but who’s going to have the skills to fix the well when the pump breaks several months later?

We can sponsor a child… but how do they make a living after they graduate from the program?

Solutions like getting clean water to rural villages, providing mosquito nets, and funding de-worming treatments for children are critically important. But unless we instill an attitude that external solutions are not the most effective way for change, we will create dependency over time. Unless we help create jobs, we cannot expect long-term impact. Getting a job and building the economy are the most basic forms of poverty alleviation. And job creation is transforming the social and economic landscape worldwide.

Since 1981 to 2005, poverty has been cut in half—reduced from 52 to 26 percent of the world’s population, according to Dr. Scott Todd of the 58: campaign. What has been the catalyst for remarkable reduction in global poverty? Job creation in countries like China, Brazil, and India. And a similar story is being repeated across the world.

In Kigali, Rwanda, 12 women used to work in the fields for less than a dollar a day. Following the 1994 genocide, poverty was rampant and opportunities few. Now they have come together to start a co-up to produce beautiful hand-crafted items. They named their co-op Ibyishimo, meaning “joy.” They say they are joyful because they are empowered to use their creativity to work their way out of poverty. Partnering with The Story Company, they say they are happy to have a hand up, rather than a handout.

As the women of Ibyishimo recognize, job creation challenges the notion that the poor are helpless, powerless, and voiceless. With a job, the poor can work to provide for their families. They can use their creativity and pursue their dreams. And they can build a better world for their children.

Today’s global problems are enormous. But through job creation—and a holistic approach to addressing the spiritual and physical aspects of poverty—we can begin to tell a new story, not one of poverty and despair, but one of progress and ibyishimo.

It’s definitely a story worth telling.

Watch the video and view the Ibyishimo Story Company Collection

They are parents and grandparents, they are farmers, they are friends, and they are role models. They laugh and bring laughter; they cry and comfort those around them; they live life and impact their communities in a unique way. These groups of remarkable women and men are supporting and coaching one another in their craft and in their lives as a whole. They have become our friends, and it is our pleasure to introduce them to you here.

The statement above is what connected me immediately to Azizi Life. Azizi Life is run by two Story Changers- Tom MacGregor and Christi Whitekettle. Their love for the Rwandan people is evident as you work with them.

Tom’s story is a story that I know many of us understand – after having “done the right thing”; pursuing University, working for a good company and earning good money, he began to question his direction and ask, “Is there more to life than this”? Tom knew in his heart he wanted to help people and remembered his love for Africa. He figured the best way of helping someone was to provide them with sustainable work so they could earn money and be able to pay for the things they need, and so began his journey…

Christi loves being creative and loves people, she is perfectly suited for her job! In 2003, she began to be burdened by the needs of people in the developing world. Her subsequent process of seeking ways to be a part of change landed her in Rwanda in July 2007. Her vision was to work in a way that helped community members to maximize their assets for their own development. In 2008 Christi began to work with Azizi Life, where there were already hundreds of artisans poised to maximize their skills and vision for their own development. She says it has been a privilege to serve as a bridge between the artisans and the global market, translating ideas and stories back and forth so that each can flourish.

In the Swahili language of East Africa, Azizi means excellent or treasured. Throughout Rwanda, groups of women and men have come together with skill and vision to use their art for the benefit of their families and communities. Azizi Life is privileged to partner with over 20 independent artisan groups in Rwanda, offering ideas and connections for the development of their art, faith, businesses, and lives as a whole. The groups vary in size but on average they have between 15 and 20 members, of whom about 95% are women. The women and men work hard and have vision for their community. They have skills, they have determination, and they have chosen to come together for the sake of their art and their livelihood.

The Story Company is so excited to work with a few Azizi’s Artisan groups including the Abizeranye Association and the Abahuzamugambi Cooperative.

The women of Abizeranye have made The Story Company’s beautiful Tea Swirl Bowls. Abizeranye’s weavers spend about two full days weaving a small bowl, and six days on a larger bowl. The women in the Association find great comfort in fellowship with one another. They have found friendship, happiness, and a renewed hope for the future as well as being able to support themselves and other family members financially.

The Abahuzamugambi Cooperative make our Deep Tray Banana Leaf Baskets. The cooperative began with one woman who had a desire to change the world around her. Immaculee Nyiramuhakwa was well aware of the poverty in her home and community. But she was also aware of the value of the weaving skills she possessed. At Immaculee’s invitation, a group of poor women from the community came together and began to learn an art with the hope of earning a livelihood. Thirteen years later, the Abahuzamugambi Cooperative- a group of 25 women and 3 men- is working with excellence in their area of specialty, creating functional household items from banana leaves.

By purchasing these lovely handmade items from Azizi Life, and proudly displaying them in your home, You become a Story Changer.

Story written by Jeni Mason, Director of Partnerships

Journey with me to the small southern African country of Swaziland. With the highest HIV/AIDS and the lowest life expectancy in the world, there are many who struggle to have their basic needs met. Women in Swaziland possibly struggle with some of the largest burdens; many have been abandoned or widowed, and are single mothers of large families.

Timbali Crafts reaches out to 100 women by providing income opportunities, weekly studies, yearly camps, and assisting with emergency food and health related needs. In a country where two-thirds of the population lives on less than $1 a day, the Timbali women average about $55 a month.

What I love about Timbali Crafts is, not only do the women have the opportunity to provide for the needs of their family, but they also fill vital needs in their own communities. Each day the women reach out to their community to help feed more than 3,000 orphans and vulnerable children at feeding centers in their rural area.

In a country where women are commonly mistreated and left to carry heavy burdens, the Timbali women are empowered to learn valuable skills, be part of a caring community of women, provide for their families, and experience self-worth and dignity.

By purchasing a purse made from the women of Timbali Crafts, you can be a part of making their dreams come true- you can be a part of changing their story.

Story written by Jeni Mason, Director of Partnerships

What is a “helping hand?” What is a “Handout?” Often we feel compelled to empty our pockets in hopes of helping others in obvious need across the ocean. Recently, on my trip to Tanzania with my band Big Daddy Weave, I was overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness. I wanted to do something to help those I saw in need but I wanted to provide something more than a continual band-aid. I wanted to see them prosper in life.

Often we view others not as humans with dreams, passions, families and goals, but rather as a one dimensional picture in a magazine that we can turn the page to forget. Being able to walk in their villages, take in their views, breathe their air, and eat their food was a turning point for me. I suddenly had a firsthand experience with someone half way around the world who was just like me in so many ways except for one big way: We were born in different places.

Knowing I was born in a land of opportunity I have made it my responsibility to help in any way I can to provide others with some tools that will allow them to experience some of the basic needs we as humans have. I want to provide more than just food and water, but provide for the need to feel important, the need to make a difference and the need to value oneself as a provider to those around them. I want to provide them with hope.

When we give others a way to work, a way to learn and a way to grow, we provide them with so much more than a reoccurring handout. We provide them with a bridge. A bridge to a better place for them and their families. A bridge to enable them to have many of the opportunities we often take for granted. All because of where we were born.

Jeff Jones is the drummer for the band Big Daddy Weave. While touring the country with them he also runs a custom drumstick company called CustomStix and enjoys speaking on the topic of W.I.S.E. –What I Sacrifice Everyday. You can connect with Jeff via twitter  or his blog at JeffDrummer.com

Azizi Life Grass Bowls

First, these handmade grass bowls, made by Azizi Life in Rwanda. In Swahili, Azizi means treasured, which is certainly what you’ll do with these bowls. Rising from the 1994 genocide that killed over 800,000 Rwandans, a group of poor women came together to learn an art with the hope of earning a livelihood.

Today, this group of 25 women and three men are working to create treasured bowls from banana leaves and sweet grass. The high quality shines through when you hold these bowls in your hand. The patterns that emerge from the woven grass are amazing and unique to each piece.

Timbali Hobo Bag

Second is this incredible Hobo Bag from Timbali Crafts in Swaziland. Timbali was formed by a group of women in a land where most people live on less than $1 per day. The women go far above creating high quality textiles and feed and care for 3,000 orphans every day.

The Timbali Hobo Bag is custom made for Story Company so you won’t find it anywhere else. When your friends ask where you got your purse, you’ll be able to tell a story of empowering women to learn valuable skills and giving back to a community so desperately in need.

Himalayan Tapestries Story Scarf

Last up is the Story Scarf from the ladies at Himalayan Tapestries. In the foothills of the Himalayas, these scarves are hand dyed and block printed with Hindi words of inspiration.

The printing on this scarf is a story of Ruchita, a college graduate, widowed and remarried at the age of 25. Ruchita chose a verse from the book of Isaiah to complete her Story Scarf. By wearing this scarf you have every opportunity to tell her story, and you become a Story Changer too!

Thank You

When you spread these stories to your friends, online and off, you get to help change lives. Thanks for being a part of the poverty solution.

When you send your friends to storycompany.com, be sure to tell them they’ll get $10 off their first order by entering their email address at the top of the site, just like you did.

I met Paul when I went to Northern Ghana with my then-sixth-grade son Aidan. Aidan had a passion to dig a well, and he’d helped fund a project near where Paul lived. Over several long car rides to remote villages, Paul and I became friends. He told me about his struggle to be the first from his village to graduate high school, the first to attend college. During those years of study, Paul experienced a lot of deprivation and trials. He waited until his late twenties to marry.

“Why did you wait until then?” I asked.

“I needed to finish school,” he said. And then he told me about his life then, how he struggled to exist against huge economic odds. “For ten years,” he said, “I didn’t know where my next meal would come from.”

Stunned to silence, I tried to imagine what that would’ve felt like. I couldn’t remember a time I’d missed a meal, let alone wondering if I’d eat for ten straight years. Even today when I go to the grocery store, I think of my friend Paul and say a prayer for him.

Paul had huge initiative and perseverance amid gigantic trials. His faith shone evident on his face. In some ways I was jealous of Paul, of his confidence in Jesus, in the way he radiated joy. He had learned the important lesson of trusting God for everything.

Paul finished his studies, eventually met his wife, and had two children. He works for a ministry now, and continues to trust God for the next provision. His perseverance is a hallmark of an entrepreneurial heart, one that trusts God, but dares to take risks.

We need more Pauls in this world. And I wish, by God’s grace, I can be more like him.

Author and speaker Mary DeMuth helps people live uncaged, freedom-infused lives. She’s spoken around the world, and is the author of 14 books. Her latest, Everything: What You Gain and What You Give to Become Like Jesus, releases in October. Find out more at marydemuth.com.

In my first conversation with Val Finnerty, who works with the Ibyishimo sewing co-op, located in Rwanda on the outskirts of Kigali, it was evident that she has a real love for the women in the cooperative and is proud of their work and the many goals they have achieved. No wonder! The women of the co-op began training in June of 2011 and are now producing beautiful handcrafted items made by foot- powered sewing machines. They began with 12 members, the majority of whom were unemployed or working alone in the fields for under a dollar a day to help support their families.

While listening to the interviews of the women of Ibyishimo, it is hard not to be moved by their stories. Women who have dealt with the harshest of conditions, heartbreaking hurts and pain, and yet they choose to move beyond it all for their families. Most of the women were not able to even finish grade school, but given the opportunity to learn and grow, they have worked very hard to overcome the many challenges involved in learning pattern drafting and design skills.

When I asked what the women of Ibyishimo hope and dream for, I was told that they dream for opportunities for their children – to attend school and have proper clothing and food. As the women begin to see some of those basic needs are met , then they feel free to dream bigger dreams, such as building a bigger workshop so that they might teach others to sew, creating their own businesses, seeing their marriages restored and helping others in their community have the ability to thrive.

Ibyishimo means “Joy” and the group chose this name for their co-op because of the joy that learning a valuable skill and earning a decent living is bringing to their lives. When they meet together their joy is evident . My favorite thing is watching them sing as they sew, and hearing about how they share their thoughts about marriage, family and healthy living to encourage and challenge each other. From these discussions and fellowship they have found confidence for themselves and hope for their future.

A hero is defined as, “A person noted for feats of courage and daring action, or a person noted for special achievement in a particular field.” The women of Ibyishimo are truly heros – courageous, daring against all odds, and notable because of their special achievements in the face of adversity.

By purchasing the beautiful, handmade products made by Ibyishimo, we all get to become a part of their story. Will you join me?

Story written by Jeni Mason, Director of Partnerships

As I mentioned in my last note, we plan to release a new partner’s product each week for the next 2 months.

Today we are excited to introduce Ibyishimo and our collaborative line of iPad and Laptop covers which are being produced just outside of Kigali. We were working with them to design these as the 18th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide was being recognized.

I think you will find the Story of the 12 women behind Ibyishimo (which means Joy in Rwanda), inspiring. Each woman involved with Ibyishimo was either unemployed or working for less than $1 per day before they started with the cooperative.

Be sure to watch the video, you’ll enjoy the beautiful Rwandan countryside, and we think you’ll love seeing the joy of the women as they sew the laptop covers specially made for you.

Bob
CEO, Story Company

In October of 2010 a team of entrepreneurs convened in Swaziland to inspect the orphan care and community development work of Children’s HopeChest. The stated purpose was to consider what new foundations we needed to lay in order to radically impact this struggling country over the next 20 years.

However, the vision that was born among the founders of Story Company during that trip transcended the challenges of Swaziland and rather focused on the opportunity to empower emerging entrepreneurs from developing countries all over the world.

We began to consider the challenges of creative, hard working people in locations such as Africa, India, Central America and Southeast Asia. The lack of capital, challenging access to global markets and western merchandising rose to the top of the list.

We began to consider….

What if we built a company that assisted in start up and growth financing?

What if a supply chain was created to provide access to major markets?

What if design and manufacturing skills were developed?

The Story Company exists to provide people dignity through their creativity and work, the ability to provide for their family and the opportunity to dream about a future that is different from the present. We want to be their partner!

Today we launch and over the coming weeks you will see great products from Kenya, Cambodia, Swaziland, India and other locations were we are establishing partnerships that will change lives. You will have the opportunity to hear their Story and help write a chapter through your own purchasing power.

Thanks for joining us!

Bob Mudd
CEO – Story Company