Ten Thousand Villages of Austin
Cause Area
Location
4803 Burnet Road Austin, TX 78756
United States
Active Opportunities (1)
Flexible Schedule
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Round Rock, TX 78664
Do you like to learn and teach about cultures and crafts of the world? This is the job for you! Help us bring the stories and handicrafts of marginalized artisans living in developing countries to our Central Texas community and you will become part of the cycle of fair trade that provides meaningful employment and a reliable source of income to these makers. We are looking for dedicated volunteers who are passionate about fair trade and their global community, no other qualifications necessary. This opportunity is in a low stress retail environment at First United Methodist Church of Round Rock working in a community of other like-minded volunteers. Become part of a new chapter of fair trade in Round Rock! For the first time ever, First United Methodist Church is opening their fair trade gift shop up to the Round Rock community. You do not need to be a member of the church to participate in this volunteer opportunity, just a positive and friendly attitude, and a desire to support our artisans around the world. Our hours are: Sunday 8:30 - 12:30 Tuesday/Wednesday 1:00-7:00 Saturday 1:00-3:00 How do volunteers help our fair trade mission? Educate our community on the importance of fair trade and share stories of underrepresented groups. Promote and sell the crafts of our artisans. Create an engaged community space by providing fun and unique shopping experiences for our customers and other fair trade supporters. Ten Thousand Villages has a need for dedicated, ongoing volunteers. We ask that volunteers sign up for at least 2 shifts per month. Ongoing volunteers receive 20% off in our fair trade store and first access to all new items! All new volunteers will be asked to complete a one hour orientation before signing up for shifts. Volunteer Testimonials "I like knowing that I’m contributing to something so worthwhile. I love how passionate everyone is and am so glad I’m able to help contribute in any way I can" Cindy, volunteer since 2018 "I like the idea of coming in after a stressful day at work and decompressing with my friend." Marcy, volunteer since 2018 "I’ve always seen this place as a happy place. The people who come in are happy. It’s a peaceful place to volunteer." Barbara, volunteer since 2021 Artisan Testimonials "Help a woman earn her own income and she will never be held down again." Irani Sen, artisan with Craft Resource Center Fifty years ago, an arranged marriage ended dreams of earning a physics degree for a bright Indian student named Irani Sen. When her husband abandoned her a few years later, resources were frighteningly scarce for the young single mother. Determination led Irani to find her calling with some of India’s earliest fair trade organizations. Driven by deep-seated beliefs in social equality and personal experience, she has helped women across India create their own identities and achieve self independence by becoming economically self-sufficient. "I was depressed and was thinking that I had no hope in life as I was deaf. Joining the family of Silence where many deaf people like me were working, had changed the way of my life." Swapan Sarker, artisan with Silence Fair Trade Born deaf, Swapan Sarker had very few resources available to him. He grew up without the opportunity to learn sign language, eventually dropping out of school, frustrated that he had no way to communicate with his peers. He found the Silence program, who provided him with an entire year of counseling and sign language lessons before even beginning skills training for the craft workshop. Swapan found satisfaction working alongside others who had faced similar challenges in their lives.Through his work, he met a woman who would eventually become his wife who is also deaf. They have two children: a boy and a girl, both of whom are receiving an education, thanks to the wages both parents earn at the workshop. Swapan takes pride in his work and hopes that more customers will learn about people like him so that they will support fair trade and all the good things that Silence is working to achieve.
Date Posted: 2024-10-11
Organization Information
Mission Statement
Ten Thousand Villages' mission is to create opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term fair trading relationships.
Description
At Ten Thousand Villages, our mission is to help artisans in developing countries improve their lives through fair trade. We work with women, people with disabilities, and marginalized populations to help them break the cycle of generational poverty by ensuring our makers earn a fair, living wage in safe working conditions. Our retail store sells the beautiful, unique handicrafts these artisans create from over 30 developing countries around the world.
Our products include home furnishings, musical instruments, coffee, chocolate, jewelry, and toys. Through fair-trade practices, the artisans who produce these products are paid fair wages up front. We ensure that our artisans are operating under safe working conditions and are producing environmentally-friendly goods.
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