FAQs
- What does the name Ten Thousand Villages mean?
- What is a fair price?
- How are volunteers involved with Ten Thousand Villages?
- What is the relationship between Ten Thousand Villages and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)?
- What role does Ten Thousand Villages play in the fair trade movement?
What does the name Ten Thousand Villages mean?
Our name was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote, "India is not to be found in its few cities but in the 700,000 villages. We have hardly ever paused to inquire if these folks get sufficient to eat and clothe themselves with."
Ten Thousand Villages believes that each community in the world represents a unique, distinctive group of people. Multiply that idea by ten thousand and it represents the large, diverse community that comprises Ten Thousand Villages.
Ten Thousand Villages ensures a fair wage for artisans by purchasing completed crafts at a price that fairly compensates the workers involved in each aspect of production. In most cases, this price is set by the artisans and the organizations with which they work. Discussions with artisans about the length of time it takes to complete a product, the number of artisans involved to create a product, a comparison of local wages for similarly skilled professions and the local cost of living help determine a fair price.
How are volunteers involved with Ten Thousand Villages?
Volunteers are involved in many aspects of our operations, from the warehouse to the sales floor. Their contributions help keep our overhead expenses low. Some volunteer for one day, others volunteer for months or years. For more information about volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages headquarters or warehouse in Akron, Pa., please contact our Recruitment and Placement Coordinator at (717) 859-8100. For more information about volunteering in a Ten Thousand Villages store, please contact your local store manager.
What is the relationship between Ten Thousand Villages and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)?
Ten Thousand Villages began over 60 years ago when one woman, Edna Ruth Byler, bought some needlework products from disadvantaged women in Puerto Rico and began selling them to her friends and neighbors in Central Pennsylvania. Mrs. Byler was the wife of a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) administrator. By 1952, MCC recognized the important work that Mrs. Byler was doing and made it an official program of MCC naming it the Overseas Needlepoint and Crafts Project. In 1968 this program was renamed SELFHELP Crafts, and in 1996 it was renamed Ten Thousand Villages.
In 2000, Ten Thousand Villages was incorporated as an independent nonprofit, charitable organization (501(c)3), wholly owned by MCC. Ten Thousand Villages has an independent, nine member board of directors. Five of the nine board members are approved by MCC. All sales revenue generated by Ten Thousand Villages and any surplus earned by operations is retained within Ten Thousand Villages. Surpluses are used to increase purchases from artisans and to finance the growth of Ten Thousand Villages retail network.
What role does Ten Thousand Villages play in the fair trade movement?
Ten Thousand Villages is a founding member of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) and a longstanding member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), two groups committed to the ideal that every worker should receive a fair wage for their work. More information about WFTO is available at www.wfto.com. More information about FTF is available at www.fairtradefederation.org.
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