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How Your Purchase Helps
The Lesotho Craft Works model is simple: by providing a direct channel to international consumers, LCW helps women earn for their families while encouraging this unique local craftsmanship. As we bring more of these products to you, more women are, in turn, trained as weavers and another family becomes economically self sufficient. Our network of six weaving studios is growing with each sale.
In recent years, a consensus has emerged in the Aid community that it all too many cases, direct Foreign Aid between the developed and the developing world does not benefit its recipients [1]. The reasons for this are myriad and well-established: despite the efforts of many on either side of the transaction, corruption, bureaucracy, and a lack of operational efficiencies mean that only a fraction of the aid ends up actually benefiting the citizens of the recipient nation. As there will always be a role for good governance and planning in the development of nations, so too will there always be a role for individual empowerment and sufficency---especially among the women of a nation.
Encouraging direct trade between nations—provided that it is “fair”—is therefore the best way to encourage sustainable economic development.
For more information about Fair Trade and new development efforts in Africa, we encourage you to visit these organizations:
[1] “Foreign Aid Effectiveness, Political Rights and Bilateral Distribution;” Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (4 February, 2004) http://www.jha.ac/articles/a128.htm
