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As stated in our previous blog post today is International Women's Day, a day when women are recognized for their accomplishments.  Today we will be featuring Carol Cassiy, who works with artisans in Laos and Cambodia, and Ellen Dorsch, who works with artisans in Ethiopia, Swaziland, Afghanistan and Senegal.

Carol Cassidy
Carol Cassidy has been working with textiles and fiber art for many years.  After receiving her degree from the University of Michigan she worked as a fiber/textile expert in Southern Africa.  In 1989 Carol moved to Laos to work as a weaving advisory on a United Nations International Labor Organization project.  On her visits to rural women's homes, she was very impressed by the technical skills of Lao weavers.  This in combination with her discovery of extraordinary antique textiles in local markets, prompted her to make the decision to establish an independent weaving studio in Vientiane.  In 2990, Carol registered Lao Textiles with a goal of demonstrating the commercial viability of creating textiles based upon tradition for a modern world market.

Fifteen years after setting up Lao Textiles, Carol became the owner and manager of Weaves of Cambodia located in a remote village in Northern Cambodia.  Weaves of Cambodia started out in 1997 as a small scale, community oriented project to weave silk, a traditional Khmer art in pre-war Cambodia, and produce scarves and wraps.

To read more about Carol Cassidy in Laos and see her products visit http://www.virtuarte.com/artists/carol-cassidy-0.  To read more about Carol Cassidy in Cambodia and see her products vivst http://www.virtuarte.com/artists/carol-cassidy.

Ellen Dorsch
Ellen Dorsch founded Creative Women in 2003 because she loves beautiful things, and wanted to make a real difference in wormen's lives.  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-pats 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.

For the past eight years, Creative Women has been importing stylish wearable accessories and accents for the home from Ethiopia, Swaziland, Afghanistan and its newest partner ONG des Villangeois de Ndem in Senegal.  Ellen and Creative Women are supporting the emerging private sector in each of these countries and more importantly, creating jobs for women in societies where good jobs are rare.

To read more about Ellen Dorsch, Creative Women in Ethiopia and see her products visit http://www.virtuarte.com/artists/creative-women-0.  To read more about Ellen Dorsch, Creative Women in Swaziland and see her products visit http://www.virtuarte.com/artists/creative-women.

On this day established to recognize women and their achievements, we have featured three women who are making a difference in women's lives, helping to preserve traditional craftsmanship and introducing us to unique products from places we may never get the opportunity to visit.  The question is How are you going to celebrate International Women's Day?