a nonprofit organizat ion wit h a mi s s i o n t o er ad icat e pover t y wherever i t res i d es
Top left: Serrv staff Sarah Wilcox with weavers and the head of our partner Tintsaba in Swaziland Top right: A Tintsaba basket weaver shows us her handiwork
Q U A RT ERLY NEW SLET T ER SU M M ER 2017
INSIDE: >Our global travels in 2017 >Highlights so far this year >An inspiring mother in Bangladesh >Meet our new CEO
Fair Trade at the Southern Tip of Africa By Serena Sato, Sales & Marketing Director
“Perfect! You can join us for field visits,” replied Richard Freemantle, head of our partner Tintsaba, as we planned our time in Swaziland. Intrigued, we readily agreed and welcomed the opportunity to meet several women who weave their intricate baskets. Early one morning in March, Sarah Wilcox and I piled into Richard’s car and bounced our way around what we decided was most of northern Swaziland. Swaziland is only 120 miles long by 80 miles wide! (It turned out that the term “field visits” was quite literal. We would pull over to predetermined meeting places either along the road or under a nearby tree!) We followed the route of other Tintsaba staff who were busily paying artisans for their baskets, dropping off sisal supplies and orders, answering questions, and checking in. A mobile health clinic was also part of the caravan—offering the women private, free access to basic health care. It was a great experience for us to see these relationships and benefits. In Swaziland, official estimates are that 26% of adults have HIV and most of them also have untreatable tuberculosis, and more than 20% of children are orphans due to disease and poverty. Basket weaving offers women the rare and vital opportunity to earn cash income that they most often use for their children’s school fees. Sales of their baskets also enables them to care for their children or grandchildren while they work. They are paid fairly, offered paid maternity leave, and given classes ranging from household budgeting to nutrition. More than 700 women weave baskets for Tintsaba using a unique skill that has been traced back 400 years. We are proud to carry their baskets in the US and to be one of their largest customers.