Black Mountain Birdie

Ten Thousand Villages, birthed as a ministry of Mennonite Central Committee, buys all of their items through Fair Trade partnerships from over 65,000 artisans in 38 different developing countries. As part of their commitment to these artists, their families, and their villages, they strictly follow some basic guidelines...
• Safe working conditions
• Upfront and prompt payment despite the often difficult circumstances

So I had to ask (as I have often wondered), "Is there really 10,000 villages that you help?" Ok...not exactly...however, the inspiration for the name came from a quote from Gandhi "India is not to be found in its few cities but in the 700,000 villages…we have hardly ever paused to inquire if these folks get sufficient to eat and clothe themselves with.” Their mission, to provide opportunities to individuals and communities around the world, coupled with the natural skill and artful beauty of these handmade items has lead to 125 successful stores around the US and Canada.

Ellen McClintock, the store manager, has worked there since 1999 and is passionate about the impact Fair Trade can make. She pointed out that it is often the women, who when given an income generating opportunity, change an entire village. Hani Mani is a prime example. She designed and created a beautiful woven garland. From this many jobs were created for her village, and now she is the first woman Mayor, proving to her community that a little ingenuity and hard work, coupled with opportunity can change a entire village. In 2001 Ellen went to the Philippines with Ten Thousand Villages and met another woman who made beautiful handmade paper greeting cards from local grasses and now 300 people in her town have jobs and a chance to acquire better health care, housing, and education.
It is true that lately it seems we have been rediscovering the value of buying local and buying handmade...however, here, tucked away in Montreat is another opportunity to have a much farther reaching impact to a much needier community. And somehow, knowing their story and seeing some of their faces in pictures, you realize that in a way you are still buying locally...somehow the gap between here and there is bridged by a common thread of hope.

Seeing the beauty of so many of these items and hearing the story behind them, I couldn't walk away empty handed...earrings for my Mom, the quirking carving for my Dad's reading glasses (pictured right), a gift card, a calendar of sorts, and a long wish list is what I came away with.