Prescraft

The Presbyterian Handicraft Centre, known as Prescraft, is based in northwest Cameroon. Men and women artisans produce traditional West African handicrafts, working at three rural production centers and earning a good income based on piece work. Some artisans combine handicraft production at home with farming or trading. They use the money raised from craft sales to pay for clothing, health care and housing, as well as their children’s education. Prescraft provides employment for close to 130 artisans, as well as some 260 home-based artisans. Prescraft goals include encouraging self reliance, minimizing rural exodus to cities and preserving indigenous arts and crafts.

Prescraft was founded as a craft cooperative in the early 1960s in Bafut, Cameroon, by a Swiss missionary. In 1970 Prescraft became an official project of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, as a nonprofit organization to benefit disadvantaged craftspeople. Prescraft is a fair trade organization registered with IFAT (International Fair Trade Association).

Ten Thousand Villages has purchased products from Prescraft since 1985.