Description
Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses.
The funds for these loans are generated by selling a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers. The Nest line also includes ceramic pottery, women's clothing and other items with the Nest logo. In addition to these exclusive items created by well-known designers, the recipients of Nest loans in developing countries also make their crafts available to Nest as repayment for the micro-credit loans. These items, too, are incorporated into the Nest line of merchandise. In this way, Nest draws together artists from across the globe into a cooperative network with a shared vision of mutual support.
When you buy from Nest, you have not only have purchased a unique and beautiful item for yourself or your home, you have participated in a proven effort to better the lives of women all across the globe. Through our work, and your participation, women all over the world are able to plant their roots in a refuge filled with warmth, solace, comfort and joy. It is our sincere hope that Nest can help you create a home, both for yourself and women the world over, filled with energy, beauty and peace.
What is micro-credit?
Micro-credit loans are a financial innovation that allows poor women the opportunity to become self-sufficient by providing them with small business loans to create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. Because women in developing countries often lack steady income, collateral and/or a credit history, historically banks have been unwilling to provide assistance. Now, however, nonprofit agencies are providing these loans, resulting in thousands of successful businesses.
Why women?
Women in developing countries face hardships complicated by lower levels of education, lower social status and talents and abilities that do not always translate into productive employment. And when women are poor or undernourished, children and families are also deprived, resulting in cycle of poverty that is difficult to break.
Since the inception of micro-credit in early 1970s, loans of this type, made to women, have had remarkable success. Women are more likely to both repay their loans and devote their earnings to assisting the family. Furthermore, when women are given the opportunity to create their own businesses and earn a stable income, their social standing in the family and in the community improves. By giving women the tools they need to provide for their families, micro-credit loans give stability and hope to families and communities.
Why art-based businesses?
Women have been artists through the centuries, whether they are creating utilitarian household objects, clothes for the family or decorative objects for themselves, the female artistic tradition is a way of defining and maintaining the community. By providing entrepreneurial loans to craftswomen and artisans, their life can become their livelihood and the decorative objects that are the fruits of their labor can be enjoyed by discerning patrons throughout the world.
