The talented self-taught young Zambian women working as F.R.E.E. (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) use copper recycled from used water heaters and wire to handcraft iconic jewelry (even the delicate chain is handmade). When allowed to return to work, the women crafted a short-run series of copper jewelry inspired by the need to stay together even when apart.
We believe that hardworking African artisans, producers and export agents hold the key to their own personal success, and that the path to success requires a steady, committed pace. Swahili extends each artisan's channel of trade from local markets to the global marketplace, all the while providing artisans with options to work from the comfort of their own homes and communities. Secure in the knowledge that the fair payment they receive will not be reduced by traveling expenses, childcare costs and haggled prices, most artisans in the Swahili network promote their family's future by using earnings to put food on the table and pay educational expenses for their children.