Naya Nayon, an Ecuador-based NGO, counters poverty and deforestation by creating new jobs that depend on conservation and responsible forest management. To accomplish this goal, the company works with 23 local artisans to create figurines, jewelry and ornaments from tagua nuts. These nuts grow year-round in Ecuador and can be harvested without detriment to the rainforest. Naya Nayon gives its artisans all the training, tools and materials they need to work from home, and then manages work distribution from the organizations main office to make sure orders are fairly distributed.

  Naya Nayon's artisans work in home-based workshops throughout the country. Within each workshop, which is usually attached to an artisan's home, one artisan serves as the leader/manager and hires family members and friends to help produce products. New artisans begin by sanding and polishing figurines made by the more experienced artisans, and then gradually progress into the more complicated aspects of the craft, such as detailing, burning/coloring, and finally shaping the crude form of the nut. As demand and production increases, more artisans are invited to join the workshop. When the workshop grows to about 8 people, an experienced worker leaves to form a new workshop and train new artisans, and the cycle of learning continues.

Despite their humble backgrounds, many of Naya Nayon's artisans are highly educated with university degrees in engineering, law, business, and medicine. Unfortunately, Ecuador's shaky economy means jobs are scarce, even for highly-qualified professionals. Thankfully, Tagua nut carving has emerged as a sustainable alternative and is often the primary source of income for an artisan's family.

This item was handmade in India in a workshop sponsored by Noah’s Ark, an NGO that offers funding for raw materials, machines and workshop repairs to 100 artisan groups across India. In exchange for assistance, workshops must prove that all employees are paid fair wages for their products and work in safe and clean conditions. Noah's Ark also offers free classes in capacity building to its network of 600 artisans, a rigorous quality control check, and runs education and water sanitation projects to benefit the artisans’ children and the rest of the community. The company has established 20 new workshops in the past 15 years, and all employees are paid 10-15% above the local rate.

Noah’s Ark was founded by Mr. Samuel Masih in 1986 back before anyone was familiar with the concept of “Fair Trade.” A businessman from Moradabad, India, Masih observed his other business associates were taking a personal commission from the local metalworking artisans, on top of paying them very low wages for their work. This led to a distrustful and exploitative work environment, and inspired Masih to create a more collaborative environment based on trust and mutual respect.

After two difficult years, Samuel explained his objectives to Mrs. Sullivan of Sullivan Florist in the United States, who immediately placed an order for US$ 70,000. This led to collaborations with other international companies, including Tear Fund, Artisanat-SEL, Goed Werk, TEAM and Oxfam Australia. Today, the company produces a US $1.5 million in exports and funds Noah's handicrafts and Welfare society, an artisan association created in 2000 to promote artisan welfare, capacity building, childhood education and social work.

UPAVIM Crafts is a cooperative of women who live in marginalized communities on the outskirts of Guatemala City. The women in the organization are mothers, homemakers, widows and some have been abandoned by their families. Many of them are the sole bread winners for their families. Unidas Para Vivir Mejor(United for A Better Life, or UPAVIM) was established in 1989 to create jobs for these women and to establish facilities of health-care, education and other social issues to benefit the community they lived in. Over the years, UPAVIM has grown from a small community health project to about a 80 member business cooperative. The organization employs teachers, seamstresses, nurses, administrators, cooks, cleaners and secretaries each of whom is paid a fair wage and is linked to UPAVIM ‘s fair trade business.

Amongst some of the achievements, In 2002 the cooperative was awarded the best Non-traditional Textile Exporter award by AGEXPRONT, a national trade organization, also UPAVIM’s Montessori school was recognized by the Guatemalan government.

The main product line made by these women artisans includes bags, purses, wallets, aprons and holiday ornaments, most of these products are made from the traditionally woven Mayan textiles which are locally available. By procuring the traditional textiles, the organization also helps promote traditional weavers of the region and brings a local flavor and uniqueness to their products. This also cuts down the role of middlemen and creates a chain of fair wages and fair prices - from the weaver, to the seamstress, to the customer.

Apart from craft making, UPAVIM also initiated other small scale businesses which include a bakery, soy milk factory, and an internet center. The main aim was to increase the means of employment for the community members of La Esperanza, so that they can gain optimum benefits from the program.

The cooperative is located in a squatter settlement called La Esperanza (Hope), where every day the communities faced various social challenges including gang violence, illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition, alcoholism, child abuse and drug abuse. Even though the challenges for community growth in an area that receives little government attention may be high, but today after 2o odd years and initiatives by UPAVIM and the women, the conditions have changed for the better in this “City of Hope”.

UPAVIM Crafts is a cooperative of women who live in marginalized communities on the outskirts of Guatemala City. The women in the organization are mothers, homemakers, widows and some have been abandoned by their families. Many of them are the sole bread winners for their families. Unidas Para Vivir Mejor(United for A Better Life, or UPAVIM) was established in 1989 to create jobs for these women and to establish facilities of health-care, education and other social issues to benefit the community they lived in. Over the years, UPAVIM has grown from a small community health project to about a 80 member business cooperative. The organization employs teachers, seamstresses, nurses, administrators, cooks, cleaners and secretaries each of whom is paid a fair wage and is linked to UPAVIM ‘s fair trade business.

Amongst some of the achievements, In 2002 the cooperative was awarded the best Non-traditional Textile Exporter award by AGEXPRONT, a national trade organization, also UPAVIM’s Montessori school was recognized by the Guatemalan government.

The main product line made by these women artisans includes bags, purses, wallets, aprons and holiday ornaments, most of these products are made from the traditionally woven Mayan textiles which are locally available. By procuring the traditional textiles, the organization also helps promote traditional weavers of the region and brings a local flavor and uniqueness to their products. This also cuts down the role of middlemen and creates a chain of fair wages and fair prices - from the weaver, to the seamstress, to the customer.

Apart from craft making, UPAVIM also initiated other small scale businesses which include a bakery, soy milk factory, and an internet center. The main aim was to increase the means of employment for the community members of La Esperanza, so that they can gain optimum benefits from the program.

The cooperative is located in a squatter settlement called La Esperanza (Hope), where every day the communities faced various social challenges including gang violence, illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition, alcoholism, child abuse and drug abuse. Even though the challenges for community growth in an area that receives little government attention may be high, but today after 2o odd years and initiatives by UPAVIM and the women, the conditions have changed for the better in this “City of Hope”.