Ten Thousand Villages-Asheville

Mission Statement

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit, "Fair Trade" retail store that sells crafts, jewelry, home furnishings and other items made by artisans in more than 30 different developing countries. These artisans would otherwise be un-employed or under-employed. The income helps pay for food, education, health care or housing. Artisans who benefit from these sales would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. This effort helps improve the economic situations of an estimated 50,000 artisans by providing income that can pay for nutritious food, education, health care and housing. Thousands of volunteers in the United States work with Ten Thousand Villages in their home communities.