New Products From Effort and Hope
Last November I was able to visit 2 artisan groups in Madagascar and work with a team to assess the impact of a Fair Trade Fund grant they received and their overall progress working with CRS Madagascar and our Work of Human Hands partner, SERRV. We came a way with a better understanding of the challenges these groups were facing and a new-found appreciation of the hard work they had before them.
My trip to Madagascar doesn’t feel like it was that long ago, but at the time the Effort and Hope cooperative in Antsirabe, Madagascar were completing an order of pocket bags for SERRV. I’m excited to announce those very bags are now available to order on the SERRV website. As a small, beginner cooperative of artisans, Effort and Hope lives up to their name. Their workspace is within the confines of a safety net center for children, Association Zazakely, that CRS Madagascar has supported in the past. Staying near their children who attend school and receive meals at the center, the artisans learn new skills and earn additional income through their partnership with SERRV. With the Zaza Pocket bag and the Pocketful of Peace bag, the artisans are applying their exceptional embroidery skills to create a cheerful pocket bag. The denim bags are cut from actual jeans, making each bag unique.
Because this group is still trying to find their stride and work up to larger orders, these pocket bags are only available online and not in the catalog. However, you can tell from the photos that they have a lot of skill and creativity. CRS Madagascar is working closely with the group on building their capacity and we hope you’ll be seeing more from them soon. In the meantime, please check out these new products from Effort and Hope!
Photo courtesy of Eileen Davenport
Tags: artisans, crafts, madagascar, work of human hands
