In a world where uncertainty is the norm, it should not come as a surprise that Crafts from Bolivia is shifting its focus in 2012. This will be evident as readers view recent changes in our website, where more prominence has been given to 3 Bags Full Finger Puppet Pouches. The suggested  storybooks are posted beside the photos of the six theme sets and we now provide a link to Amazon books so that the books can be purchased st the same time.

As well, we continue to learn more about the importance of early literacy  and want to share the fruits of our networking.  We will do this by linking you to resources that come recommended by some of the professionals who have purchased our puppets.  In this way our visitors will find the resources they need more easily and we will be able to promote early literacy. 

Recently I realized that I have not shared a very important success on my blog. My producer group, Ayni Bolivia, and I worked together and obtained funding available to fair trade groups wanting to expand their market in the US.

The Challenge of Meeting Toy Safety Standards

I have blogged previously about toy safety.  Products that are used by children must comply with strict legislation in order to be sold in the US.  Ensuring that your product complies with this legislation is an expensive and complex process for a small business to undertake.  It involves working with both a toy lab and a toy safety consultant. The lab performs the appropriate testing; but you need to work with a consultant in order to navigate the whole testing process.  Both services are very expensive.

As Ayni was involved in sending samples to a lab in Singapore, they were aware of the challenge and the cost.  After working with the consultant for two months, i had clarified the testing that was required. But I had also run out of funds to actually pay for the tests.

Working Together on a Funding Proposal

Last year Ayni Bolivia learned about specific funding opportunities available to fair trade groups that are members of the World Fair Trade Organization.. They discovered that the Trade For Development Centre (CTB)  based in Belgium funded fair trade groups that needed help breaking into new markets. So  Ayni Bolivia proposed that we  apply for funding  to help us enter the US market, particularly so that we could complete the essential testing process.

We pooled our knowledge, developed a work plan and budget and were able to complete the application by the October Deadline and were approved for funding in Deceomber.

What A Difference Funding has Made!

The first thing we did was to resume the testing process!! By the end of January we had passed with flying colors and all our bills were paid.  Now we are continuing to meet our objectives, and we will be attending two key conferences in the US–The American Library Association national conference and the American Speech and Hearing Associates.

Stay tuned to hear more about our progress to bring 3 Bags Full Finger Puppets into the US.

When I started my business in 2004, I knew that I could not work alone. Almost as soon as I began selling my products in Toronto, I began to develop a vision of a group I called Faces of Fair Trade. I conceived of a group that would promote fair trade and provide a mutual support network for independent fair trade entrepreneurs.

That vision slowly became a reality as I met and talked with interested individuals and eventually brought people together in 2005 for a “founding meeting.”  At our first meeting, we talked about fair trade, about our unique relationships with artisans around the world, and about the challenges of being a fair trade entrepreneur. There was a strong connection between those present because we shared the belief that fair trade was an important aspect of social justice. We each felt passionate about the groups we worked with, and we  recognized the value of working together to generate interest and awareness in fair trade and grow our individual businesses.

Sometimes I have wondered whether fair trade entrepreneurship would gain acceptance in Canada.   Early on, customers would approach my table at an event and ask   ” Are you Ten Thousand Villages?”  When I said no, they might then ask if I was part of another non profit group. When I explained that I owned a small fair trade business, I  waited to see if they were going to accept the fact that I was an entrepreneur.  First I explained that I paid my Bolivian artisans in advance and took all the risk. I went on to say that I couldn’t  do this work without also keeping a roof over my head. At this point it seemed that they understood my situation.

Six years later I can say that fair trade entrepreneurship seems to have become acceptable and Faces of Fair Trade is alive and well. While our membership has been fluid, we have achieved results that surpass my earliest vision. There are now 8 active members; each works directly with artisans in different parts of the world.  We have a shared understanding of fair trade and the role of fair trade entrepreneurs in this international movement.  We have criteria for membership, and  and a process for accepting new members. This lends credibility to the group, making it easier to share our stories and openly describe our business practices.

Now when asked if we are Ten Thousand Villages,  our members say  no and go on to express the opinion that there are more than 10,000 villages that need our help. We explain that we are entrepreneurs who have decided to to help some of those other villages.  While people laugh when they hear this play on words, they also respect the courage it takes to start a business fueled by the desire to make a difference in the world.

I hope that you will take the time to go to www.facesoffairtrade.com and read about the work of my fellow members and learn about our unique approach to selling fair trade crafts.

Two weeks ago I was a vendor at the Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival in Almonte, Ontario. It was a sunny Saturday, a perfect family day, and so thousands of parents, children and grandparents strolled the streets of this quaint Ontario village.

When I watch the crowd at a large public event, I usually look for  women with white hair– these are the grandmothers.  And they are some of my best customers.  They adore their grandchildren and want to play an active role in their grandchild’s life.  They like the idea of buying 3 Bags Full Finger Puppets and keeping them at home as a special treat that only comes out during visits to grandma’s house.

So I was interested in why Theo, a grandmother visiting from Massachusetts, wanted to buy finger puppets.  She explained to me that she spent time every week taking with her new grandchild on Skype–the new internet technology that allows us to make phone calls that allow us to see the caller and be seen.

I’ve been Skyping with my granddaughter since she was born. In the early months, it was mostly a way to hang out with her Mom and watch her as she grew, but once she started to recognize that there was someone on the screen who wanted to interact with her, I found myself looking for ways to keep her engaged. I carted out the usual finger plays and my repertoire of animal sounds. These were certainly helpful. But I wanted more ways to connect. That’s when I started buying finger puppets.

Finger puppets are perfect for Skyping. Between 6 and 12 months, my Granddaughter especially loved barnyard animal puppets. I’d say their names and mimic their sounds, and she’d observe with rapt attention. Between 12 to 24 months, she began to enjoy seeing the puppets engage with one another, mostly kissing and hugging, but sometimes in simple conversations, like, “My name is Red. What’s yours?” “I’m Bowwow. I”m a dog.”

I found her story very poignant and inspiring at the same time.  One of the greatest heart breakers for many grandparents is the experience of living at a distance from their grandchildren.  But it seems that Theo has found a way to bridge that distance, using 3 Bags Full Finger Puppet Pouches to engage!! Pretty amazing!

When I set out to sell 3 Bags Full Finger Puppet Pouches, I knew I was selling a children’s product. What I didn’t know was that the world of children’s products is a highly regulated one.  In Canada the standards are set by Health Canada. In the United States, the laws are different, but…

…this posting is not about  toy regulation .  Nor is it about debating the merits of toy safety standards: of course children need to be safe.  Rather, it is about my personal and  humbling experience.  At times I have felt like I was tumbling down a hill side on a sunny day only to find myself in the soggy marshlands at the bottom.

I didn’t see it coming. If I had, I would have rented a life preserver or brought a change of clothes to rescue myself from the muck. Or, I might have found a different hill.

What am I talking about?  I am trying to describe what it feels like to embrace an ideal and discover down the road that the journey has some major challenges associated with it. I wanted to change the world based on fair trade values. I never expected this road to lead me to a world of laws and regulations. And, if I did, I never expected those rules to apply to me. After all, I am an agent of social change, a fair trade entrepreneur.

Once I discovered that soggy world, and realized that it did apply to me, I began to get educated.   Two years ago, I  spoke to  Canada’s children’s product safety experts and  sent my product to a toy lab in order to meet the Canadian standards.  While it was sobering, it wasn’t insurmountable.

But launching a product in the US toy market feels very different. It seems that American society has a different perspective on litigation: businesses do get sued.  And that perspective is frightening, even to the most benevolent business person. I learned that a commitment to fair trade does not come with immunity.

I must confess that recently there have been days when I felt like finding a new hill. Jumping ship. Wondering why I decided to be the sole Canadian distributor for 3 Bags Full.  Wishing that I didn’t always end up taking the road less traveled.

But after a brief period of anxiety and desperation,  I found some very knowledgeable and resourceful people  who like my product, value my work and have experience guiding people like me through this maze of toy safety.  They tell me that they have guided many small business on this journey. They say it is doable. They say they are on my side.

So I have begun to breathe at night. I have fallen (back) in love with these knitted animals. And I am reconnecting with the ideals that got me started, knowing that this hill can be navigated.

Several Americans have asked me why I don’t sell 3 Bags Full Finger Puppet Pouches in stores across the boarder (that is, south of Canada). Developing a strategy for wholesaling to the right retail stores has required a lot of study and observation.  This process began last January when I went to the Canadian Toy Fair and began to sell to Canadian toy, book and gift  stores.  In July I discovered NETS Canada, the Canadian assoc1ation of independent toy store owners.  I was very pleased that their members voted 3 Bags Full as one of the latest and greatest toys for Xmas 2009. I continue to be a NETS member, attending events and learning more about their businesses.

It was during this networking that I added the suggested story book list to the purchase of a puppet bag. The full list of books was on the website, but I realized that customers needed to have the list in hand when they made the purchase.  As well, toy store owners were not as familiar with the idea of early literacy as the professionals I had met. So now they go hand in hand, and every customer is introduced to the concept of early literacy–of combining books and puppets with very young children.

Now I am ready to meet independent toy store owners in the US. Tomorrow I am off to Providence, Rhode Island, where I will be promoting 3 Bags Full to about 800 trade show participants. Once I start selling to stores in the US, I will post them on the list of stores who carry them.

People often ask me what it is like to import fair trade crafts from Bolivia. They expect to hear that I need to travel to Bolivia to do this work: they imagine an exciting life.  However, my life is quite ordinary– unless you do a body scan to uncover my two passions — for communicating in Spanish and promoting fair trade.

Importing involves a lot of mundane work—mostly administrative. You need knowledge of the trading agreement between two countries and an understanding of how goods are exported. You make decisions about how to transport products and how to clear customs when they arrive in Canada. And that is just the beginning—the part before actually selling products. Not very exciting!

My passion for this work is fuelled by the relationships i have developed with the people in Bolivia and the commitment to promoting fair trade. My visit to Bolivia in 2004 was the beginning of my importing experiment. But it was also the first step in developing a relationship with Bolivian artisans and learning about how to create a fair trade partnership.

I chose to work in Bolivia because I wanted to be able to communicate directly with my producer groups in Spanish.  Each time I make myself understand and comprehend an e-mail I receive, I am awed. It feels like walking across a bridge between two cultures. Through the language I become very aware of the differences between these cultures and the work required to understand each other.
One of my primary relationships is with Vania Rivero, who coordinates Ayni Bolivia. As we write back and forth about details related to my order and their production, the significance of this partnership becomes magnified. With every detail we share, we both know that we are working to improve the lives of the indigenous artisans and their families. I feel the deep bond that comes from working with someone who holds the same values. These values form the framework of this fair trade relationship.

This work is social justice in a very personal way. And while the logistics of shipping, customs clearance and selling products make up many of my daily tasks; I hold this relationship and fair trade partnership close to me, always reminding myself why I have chosen to live this ordinary life.

Selling finger puppet pouches is really more interesting than it sounds. That is because I  often talk with kindergarten teachers and professionals who work with preschool children. These are  people who devote most of their waking hours to helping our children get off to a good start in life. They are a warm and friendly bunch!

When I tell them the story behind the finger puppets, they have no trouble recognizing the impact of fair trade on young children. They understand the need of a Bolivian mother/artisan who wants to work in her home so that she can continue to care for her children. They are glad to learn that fair trade economics offers her a way out of poverty, and a lifestyle that ensures her children receive an education, proper health care and a stable family environment.

When I sell the puppet sets at professional conferences, I meet people who talk about the many ways that 3 Bags Full puppets can be used to support early literacy.  They explain how oral language is developed through storytelling, and how puppets can be used to introduce children to the world of books. However, beneath the work on skill development lays a profound goal: they want children to succeed.  So it always strikes me that these professionals and Bolivian mothers have something in common: they share the universal wish that our children  succeed in life..

This awareness is what makes selling finger puppets so rewarding–and the fact that it supports both North American and Bolivia children.  I think of this as the place where fair trade meets early literacy.

This is my first-ever blog post. I am very excited to finally have the chance to communicate with visitors to my site. Please give me feedback and ask questions about my work. They say that this blog thing is interactive. I hope so.

The women in the potograph on my new site banner knit the finger puppets that are part of 3 Bags Full Finger Puppet Pouches. It warms my heart every time I see that photo. These women keep me going, because I know that their livelihood and mine are interdependent. My fair trade partnership with Bolivian artisans  reinforces the simple belief that I can make a difference in this world.

Today I was giving a presentation to a classroom full of kindergarten teachers, showing them the finger puppet sets and telling them my fair trade story.  When this photo of the knitters came up on the screen, someone remarked at how colorful it was. Knowing how poor such indigenous women are, I thought about how they appeared in the photo. I see an expression of the gentle and loving quality of the Aymara culture.

I named my business Indigenous Crafts from Bolivia, because this culture grabs me; it touches a place in my heart and compels me to stay on the fair trade track. Every time someone stumbles over that big word–indigenous–I explain what it means: these are the first nations of Bolivia, the people who lived on that land before the Spaniards arrived.  I think about their gentle nature and feel thankful that I met them, that I have the opportunity to work with them. All helping should be accompanied by such inspiration!