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In an earlier post I said many beautiful products made by artists/artisans in the developing world are located in countries and often in remote areas where their work is seen only by locals or a few tourists. Many of these items are being made by women who live in rural areas that are trying to earn an income to support their families and improve their quality of life. These products are frequently expressions of traditions and customs that are slowly dying out because there is insufficient incentive -- economical and cultural -- to pass these traditions/customs on to the next generation. I also said it was my belief that through the increased awareness of their art and the ability to generate an income, artists/artisans (men and women) would be encouraged and have an incentive to continue their traditional weaving, carving, sculpting, and painting and pass their skills onto the next generation.

Same Beliefs

I recently met someone, Ellen Dorsch, who started her company on some of these same beliefs. Ellen's background and experience is in the area of public health, specializing in women's/reproductive health. She started traveling to Africa 21 years ago and worked as a consultant in developing countries. When she retired she still wanted to do something that would work with women and enable her to continue to travel to Africa.

While visiting Ethiopia Ellen saw sex workers training to be hairdressers, only to find there were no jobs available. She visited rehab centers where women were sewing and embroidering beautiful table cloths, but the only market for their products was a small bazaar for the ex-pat community living in Addis Ababa. Ellen realized an opportunity existed to improve women's lives and to maintain a centuries-old art form by introducing to the US market the beauty of Ethiopian textiles. Five years ago Creative Women was started.

Ethiopian Traditions

For generations, Ethiopian weavers, mainly in the Dorze and Chencha areas of southwest Ethiopia, have woven textiles on traditional looms using centuries-old patterns and designs. Weaving is a family activity in Ethiopia. Women are responsible for gathering the cotton in the Rift Valley lowlands and spinning it to make the thread used for the weft (horizontal) threads on the loom. Most of the cotton used for the warp is factory made. Traditionally, the men do the weaving. Their looms are typically set up outside the house.

A Twist on Tradition

In Ethiopia Creative Women works in partnership with three women-owned textile design studios, Menby's Design, Sabahar, and Negist. Each business brings something unique to the array of textiles promoted by Creative Women.

The weavers/artisans at Menby's Design produce the centuries-old tibeb, and intricate hand-woven border, and then the seamstresses transform the tibeb into pillows, wall hangings, table runners, mats, shawls, scarves, and handbags.

Sabahar has reintroduced silk production into the country. Workers spin the silk from local cocoons, hand-weave the textiles, and using natural dyes, create brightly colored shawls, scarves, throws and blankets.

Negist uses the soft and lush Ethiopian cotton to make scarves, throws and cushions; the low-impact dyes they use turn these products into vibrant accessories for any home or woman.

Today, along with marketing the unique products from these three Ethiopian businesses, Creative Women is supporting the emerging private sector, creating jobs for women in a society where good jobs are rare and helping to sustain an ancient art form. All the reasons why Ellen wanted to start her company.

Expanding Geographic Scope

In 2006 Creative Women started working with a woman-owned business in Swaziland, where three generations of women have been weaving mohair, and now raffia and other raw materials into home and personal accessories. One day I hope to travel with Ellen to meet and get to know these women she works with.

To get more information about Creative Women check out their website at www.creativewomen.net.