ArtWorkShop
The Gift of Creating and the Happiness of Giving
We try to search for ways of supporting people who live in poverty. We don’t want our help to be a deepening of dependence, but a support of their own abilities. Support that will reward people for their good work and will give them the freedom to choose how they will use their earnings. People who have to support their families know best whether they need food for tonight’s dinner, medication for someone who is ill or whether they need to finance the education of their children.
This is why the Artworkshop project was created. In Kenya, like everywhere else, there are many clever craftsmen who do not wait for help to come to them, but actively develop their talents. However, they often can’t reach the market where their products could be sold. That is why we buy products from skilled primary producers and find a market for them in Europe. We stand by the principle of fair trade. The craftsmen receive a good remuneration for their work, compared to local conditions. For every product we buy, we save 10% of its sales price into a social fund. After a year of cooperation, we will use this money for the realisation of a project that will be helpful for the entire community of producers in the given location. Depending on how much money we ‘make’ together and depending on the decisions of the community, we can discuss ways in which we can improve the provision of drinking water, working conditions, educational activities, etc.
The extent to which we will be able to improve the conditions of people from poor communities through cooperation with creative craftsmen mainly depends on the customers who will support us by purchasing their beautiful products. Maybe you can buy a gift for someone. You will make that someone happy in the same way that you will make yourself and the creative Kenyan producers happy.
