VirtuArte.com

Over the last year one of the organizations I have gotten to know is Vital Voices. Vital Voices Global Partnership is a non-government organization that identifies, trains and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs arond the world. They provide these women with the capacity, connections and credibility they need to unlock their leadership potential.

The area I am most familiar with is the Women Artisans Product & Business Development Program. This program is a week of intensive workshops where participants are provided with expert training on product design and development; packaging and packing for export; intellectural property rights; branding and marketing; export and international trade issues; costing and pricing for export; and distribution in the United States, Europe and other countries throughout the hemisphere. This program was launched in 2008 in Africa and workshops have been held in Ghana, Swaziland, South Africa and Kenya.

Vital Voices is now accepting applications for the next workshop to be held in Kampala, Uganda -- 15-19 February 2010.

Below you will find the criteria for participant selection:

• Women leaders in the artisan and craft industry, who own or manage export-ready businesses or artisan cooperatives in Africa.
• Their organizations must have a relaible supply chain, fair labor practices, international banking capacity, communication capacity (e-mail, fax telephone), environmental sustainablity and a track record of innovation and creativity. The participant must be capable with a computer and have regular access to a computer for e-mail communication.
• The organizations should be relatively new to the international export market, with limited or no previous experience exporting to the US, Europe or other international destinations. Candidates must have the ability to get product (packaged) from their location to a location for export.
• The organizations should have a significant number of women employees and demonstrate a commitment to hire and promote women.
• Successful candidates have demonstrated leadership potential. Program participants should lead networks or organizations where they have the ability to pass on new entrepreneurial skills and contacts gained from this training and through follow-up acitvities to other owmen and girls in their communities.
• All participants will be given the opportunity to contribute to a collection of products for marketing in multiple US-based trade shows. Applicants and nominees should be seen as entrepreneurial innovators or social entrepreneurs, engaged in developing new methods grounded in economic empowerment and sustainability.
• Cadidates must be comfortable communicating in English (both written and spoken) and they must have basic math skills to be able to convert currencies.
• Photos of products are required (to be submitted electronically).

Applications are due to Vital Voices by Sunday, 3 January 2010. Only finalists will be contracted.

In July I met, and blogged about, one of the women artisans, Rebecca Lolosoli, who had participated in this program, http://www.virtuarte.com/blog/update-rebecca-lolosoli-artisan-leader-and-social-entrepreneur. She represented the Umoja Uaso Women's Group at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market where their traditional and contemporary beaded jewelry sold very well. Rebecca's pieces were also featured on the runway during New York Fashion Week with the presentation of Diane von Furstenberg's Spring 2010 Collection.

This is an excellent program and will provide an ongoing experience that will benefit both the individual artisan and her community. Additional information can be found on the Vital Voices website at http://vitalvoices.org/africa/apply-2010-africa-training-workshops. If you would like an application please contact me at dmyers@virtuarte.com and I would be happy to send you one.