A Legacy of Fair Trade. A Future of Resilience + Success.
For over 80 years, Ten Thousand Villages has partnered with artisans around the globe to offer steady income, stability, and a platform to share their craft. But the global marketplace is changing as technologies and standards evolve quickly and present new barriers to overcome. Artisans face urgent questions: How can they sustain their businesses in a shifting economy? Who will help them adapt? Artisan entrepreneurs are key sources of employment in their communities and the fair wages they pay directly improve the livelihoods of families.
Our Answer: Artisan Pathways
Artisan Pathways is our direct service initiative designed to equip makers with the tools, training, and confidence they need to thrive.
We Help Artisans:
- Modernize products for changing consumer tastes.
- Navigate export challenges, from material sourcing to shipping logistics.
- Deepen their skills in product development, marketing, and sales diversification.
- Understand product safety testing regulations.
Who We Serve
Artisan entrepreneurs already engaging in global export, but who need additional guidance to scale their businesses, expand capacity, and deepen impact on their local community.
How We Serve
Ten Thousand Villages runs various programs under Artisan Pathways to strengthen artisan enterprises.
2025-2026:
Business Accelerator Program in Kenya
We selected nine Kenyan artisan enterprises for an intensive program dedicated to identifying and improving weaknesses in their business with a focus on designing new, market-ready product. They benefited from four months of one-to-one mentorship sessions provided by HANDMADE to MARKET’s specialists and met with Ten Thousand Villages and HANDMADE to MARKET’s leadership for in-person training in Nairobi and Mombasa.
Participants improved their pricing systems, produced stronger product collections, and gained a better understanding of export requirements and best business practices. The products they designed as part of the Business Accelerator Program will be available for sale through Ten Thousand Villages in June 2027.
2025:
Virtual Artisan Training Program
In partnership with HANDMADE to MARKET and Sourcing Indonesia, we offered webinars to 50+ artisan partners about business and financial management; branding, marketing, and sales; wage structure, costing, and pricing; and product market research. This training was provided free of charge to participants and attendees reported a 96% satisfaction rate, highlighting their renewed confidence in their enterprises’ potential.
Our Partners in Serving Artisans
Handmade to Market (formerly known as Aid to Artisans) is a nonprofit dedicated to creating sustainable economic opportunities for artisans worldwide, providing training, mentorship, grants, and opportunities for artisan-to-artisan connection.
Sourcing Indonesia is committed to advancing ethical business practices in the sourcing, product development, quality control, and shipping services industries.
The Schowalter Foundation generously helped to sponsor the Kenyan Business Accelerator Program.
At Ten Thousand Villages, every purchase transforms a life.
It’s more than Charity. It’s Change. Be Part of It.
