WorldCrafts

Each year, by force, fraud, or coercion, millions of people find themselves trapped in bonded labor and sexual exploitation. WorldCrafts artisan groups are working to end these evils by providing a sustainable income to people in poverty. When earning a living wage, parents are less likely to be seduced by a sex trafficker’s poison promises. And young women hoping for a better life are less likely to fall prey to criminals seeking to use and abuse the most vulnerable.

“While it can seem difficult to find an entry point in the fight against human trafficking, it is important that we keep working in every manner possible,” says Sara Groves, singer/songwriter. “Worldcrafts provides quality products created by people around the world attempting to escape poverty. With their Set1Free campaign they are specifically working to aid women who have been rescued from trafficking and the organizations that work to rescue them.  Purchasing gifts and goods from Worldcrafts is another great inroad to combating this exploitation of millions of women and children.”

How to help:

There are four main ways to support WorldCrafts and artisans worldwide:

  1. Have an event or party! Yes, you can have fun and help artisans at the same time by hosting a WorldCrafts event. The “Events” tab on www.worldcraftsvillage.com contains everything you need to plan and host your event.
  2. Pray. Lifting up our artisans makes such a difference in their lives.
  3. Give. Another way to support WorldCrafts is to make a donation to the Jackson/Reese Endowment. Your donation may be tax-deductible as allowed by law. Mail your check to WMU Foundation, PO Box 11346, Birmingham, AL 35202-1346 or visit www.worldcraftsvillage.com to give online. You can even give a gift in honor or in memory of someone. Your gifts to this fund are used to expand WorldCrafts.
  4. Shop. You can turn your gift-giving into meaningful purchaess by buying your gifts through WorldCrafts! Whether you are buying presents for teachers, family, or friends, you can know that the money you have spent on each gift will also have a life-changing impact on the artisan who made it. You can also order a catalog by calling 1-800-968-7301 or by emailing worldcrafts@wmu.org with your mailing address.

What’s the value of a dollar?

Way more than just 100 pennies when you buy handmade items from around the world through WorldCraftssm, an innovative ministry of WMU®. Operating under Fair Trade Federation standards, WorldCrafts embodies values that move local artisans from poverty to self-sufficiency. By purchasing WorldCrafts products from our more than 70 artisan groups you can support:

• Afghan jewelry makers trying to make a new life for themselves in a country devastated by decades of strife
• seamstresses in rural China seeking to break a cycle of poverty, domestic abuse, and under-education
• Woodworkers in Bethlehem trying to earn a decent wage in the midst of endless turmoil
• Artisans in Guatemala working in a region where many young children die each year from malnutrition
• Earthquake victims in India who create beautiful paper products so they can afford to rebuild their homes and dig deeper, cleaner wells.

WorldCrafts pays its artisans a fair price up front and is committed to working with them on a long-term, sustainable basis. We bring hope to men and women in need, not only financially, but holistically. Your purchases invest in the transformation of lives and communities around the world.

What WorldCrafts is doing now:

Current WorldCrafts artisan groups on the frontlines of the battle against sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
• Frankadua Vocational Training (Ghana) provides training and assistance to women leaving the Trokosi slave system.
• ConneXions (India) works with women at risk of sexual exploitation.
• Freeset (India) offers alternative employment for those leaving prostitution in Kolkata’s infamous sex district.
• Priscilla Centre (India) works with those at risk of human trafficking or exploitation.
• Second Chance (Moldova) offers fair trade employment for young women at risk of human trafficking in Europe.
• Higher Ground (Nepal) provides viable, honorable work for women at risk of human trafficking.
• Manna Madagascar (Madagascar) benefits women leaving the island’s sex trade.
• The Well (Thailand) offers a living wage and helping hand for those leaving Thailand’s notorious sex trade.
• Proverbs 31 (Uganda) provides income for women in poverty, thus lessening the risk their young daughters will be sold into exploitative child marriages.
• Kingdom Creations (Cambodia) works with families in poverty whose daughters are at risk of child prostitution.

“The link WorldCrafts provides between artisans in remote areas and consumers is truly transformational.  Thank you for your innovative ministry,” says Kathy Stout-LaBauve, aftercare specialist, International Justice Mission.

For more information about WorldCrafts:

Visit www.WorldCraftsVillage.com, or contact Ashley Stephens at astephens@wmu.org.