Global Exchange Fair Trade Store Senior Buyer Jenie Farinas and Store Manager Tex Dworkin traveled on a three week buying trip to Northern Thailand and Luang Prabang, Laos. The items purchased during this trip will be available on our website beginning in Fall 2007. During their travels, local NGO Thai Tribal Craft hosted a trip to visit with one of their Hmong Tribe producer groups. Thai Tribal Crafts (TTC) was established in 1973. Its main objective is to provide opportunities for improving the quality of life of the tribal people in the Northern Thailand. Seven Hill tribes of Northern Thailand are involved in the project: the Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Lawa, Lisu and Mien groups, as well as many women working in Chiang Mai. To achieve their objective they have the following goals.
- To be a non-profit but self-sustaining agency
- To operate under the principle of fair trade
- To preserve the traditional arts and crafts of tribal people
- To provide advice and training for the producers on quality control as well as creating new designs.
To learn more about TTC, visit the Thai Tribal Crafts website.