Founder Maxine Kaye, previously worked for the United Nations and a non-profit organisation. Although she saw good work being done, she believed that handouts created dependency and not development. As part of her legal training, Kaye spent a summer at United Nation’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda located in Arusha, Tanzania. During this trip, she visited a remote region of Swaziland where came across the unique craft of wooden dishes. She spoke to the artisan Thembenkile, who told her that she learnt how to make the dishes from her father who also learnt it from his father. The dishes were hard to sell because she was living in a remote area where people could not afford to purchase the dishes.
The Bootstrap Project’s mission is to create a sustainable platform to promote and retain centuries-old crafts and customs. They create an outlet for the local artisans around the world. The profits of their sales goes back to the artists and their communities. Which helps provide education and the opportunity to retain, preserve and advance their fast-dying crafts, customs and way of life. It’s trade not aid. The Bootstrap Project currently sources goods from Tajikistan, Swaziland and Zambia. All goods are available online at THE BOOTSTRAP PROJECT.
SOURCE: THE BOOTSTRAP PROJECT, VISI & OUT AND ABOUT AFRICA
Comments