What makes us different?
We operate in a particularly difficult environment
While there are a number of similar projects in more stable regions of Africa, SHONA is located in Eastern Congo, a region torn by war and insecurity. In November of 2008 our craftspeople had to flee to a neighboring country for a month because of the escalating insecurity. It was their SHONA income and generous gifts from SHONA customers that enabled us to move temporarily to a safer area.
Congo also faces the additional obstacle of corruption. In a 2005 World Bank report, Congo was ranked the worst business operating environment in the world. This is precisely where fair trade and just incomes are needed most.
Handicapped Craftspeople
We work exclusively with handicapped craftspeople. Handicapped children are often unable to attend school, and it is assumed that they will never be able to provide for themselves, except through begging. The opportunity to work for themselves and provide for their families is especially meaningful to our craftspeople.
A reliable income
We pay each craftsperson by month for each piece that she has completed. This is instead of asking our craftspeople to wait until goods arrive in the US or until they are sold, to receive their earnings. This means that SHONA absorbs the risks, while providing a reliable income stream to our craftspeople. We know that we work with the poorest of the poor and one of the greatest keys to moving out of poverty is income stability.
Wages set in conjunction with the craftspeople
Poor people are often unclear about the conditions under which they will be paid, and have no input into those conditions. The wages we pay per piece are set in advance and in conjunction with our craftspeople, balancing both the price we can sell a piece for and the amount of work each piece requires. Sometimes our craftspeople will elect to lower the wage per piece of one item in order to raise the wage per piece of another item that they know is more time-intensive. This helps keep work distribution and remuneration fair.
Our craftspeople earn 100% of our profits.
The wages that we pay each month reflect 100% of our estimated profit from the items they have sewn.
Limited expenses
We have no paid staff at this point and we are determined to keep our expenses low so that your money returns to the craftspeople directly. Expenses include material, shipping, brochures, internet fees (website hosting, ebay, paypal),and the cost of our education classes. All administration, marketing, and shipping continues to be done on a 100% volunteer basis (by me). In order to create a long term sustainable business, we will eventually need to include a modest salary to cover this work, but we will only include this expense when it is clear that our organization can sustain it without reducing the income of our craftspeople.
Independence and Ownership
In Goma there is a strong sense of dependency on foreign aid. There is a sense that no viable project can exist without heavy funding from outside sources and this often creates a sense of dependency. Because we started with no outside funding, our craftspeople understand that they are SHONA. The vast majority of our income comes from the work of the craftspeople themselves. And this creates a sense of ownership. In essence, each of our craftspeople operates independently as a small business. Each craftsperson plans her own work, purchases her own cloth, tracks her own income and determines her own success. We believe that this provides a unique opportunity for the craftspeople to own the change in their lives.
