Edna Ruth Byler

Almost 80 years ago, Ten Thousand Villages founder Edna Ruth Byler was one of the first people in history to engage in fair trade. At the time, she didn’t realize that she would become the pioneer of a global movement for ethical sourcing and human rights. She simply recognized a need and set out to create a solution.

In 1946, Byler, a Mennonite from Pennsylvania, traveled with her husband to Puerto Rico. There, in the La Plata Valley, she met women creating exquisite needlework but struggling to feed their families. Having lived through the Depression, Byler recognized both the hardship they faced and the dignity that meaningful work could bring.

Inspired, she carried their embroidery back to the U.S., selling the beautifully handcrafted pieces to friends, neighbors and church groups out of the trunk of her car. She not only offered the women artisans an income but also shared their stories, demonstrating how every purchase could empower a mother to support her family.

By the 1950s, Byler’s efforts gained support from the Mennonite Central Committee, which enabled her to expand her purchasing program to artisans in India, Jordan and beyond. Her grassroots project became known as the Overseas Needlework and Crafts Project in 1962, and in 1996, was renamed Ten Thousand Villages.

Today, what began with a single suitcase of embroidery has grown into a global Fair Trade network connecting artisans in more than 25 countries with markets that value their skill, culture and dignity.

This October, as we celebrate Fair Trade Month, we honor Edna Ruth Byler’s legacy and the artisans who continue to transform their communities through craft. Every purchase is still what Edna believed it to be: an act of opportunity, not charity.