One World Projects
White Soapstone Elephant
White Soapstone Elephant
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We brought back our amazing white elephant. It is made of white soapstone and was hand carved by our Haitian Artisans. The stone is soaked in water to make it easier to handle. It then is hammered, chiseled and filed to get the right lines. This process could take hours depending on the piece they are creating. They then sand and buff to get the soft luster on the pieces.
- Figurine Measures - 3'' high x 2 3/8'' wide x 4 1/4'' deep
Handmade in Haiti and fair trade imported.
Haiti is often considered the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Haitian artisans live in a country where the political climate and hardships imposed by economic embargos and sanctions in the 1990's have contributed to poverty and accelerated environmental degradation. Health care and education are unobtainable dreams for the impoverished 75-80% majority. The average income is $55. per month. Only 40% of the population has access to potable drinking water and 25% have access to sanitary sewage systems. Infant mortality is over 7%, malnutrition is a common ailment, and almost half of the population is illiterate.
Despite this adversity there is hope. The Artisan Business Network (ABN) empowers Haitians with entrepreneurial tools, design input, and market access. The ABN is making essential improvements the earnings or artisans, helping them to provide for their families and community wellbeing through commerce based in Haiti's profound artisanal culture.
ABN strives to empower Haiti’s artisan culture in order to improve community well-being. They have three depots located in Jacmel, Port-au-Prince and Croix-des-Bouquets and support the traditional arts in several mediums including: metal crafts, soapstone, paper mache, and plant fibers.
Talented Haitians are ready and eager to recapture the losses brought about by the economic trade embargo of the 1990's, subsequent internal political deadlock, and the devastation of the January 2010 earthquake. Because of the efforts of ABN, and their ability to connect artisan handcrafts with the international market, many artisans are now able to better care for themselves and their families.
About the Artisans
About the Artisans
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Marisol Medina used her creativity and love for animals to craft handmade wildlife creatures. She began her work with wire and cotton in Tabio, a small village 60kms from Bogotá in Colombia. Starting with readily available raw materials, and struggling through various challenges typical of a small business/enterprise, Marisol soon enhanced her techniques and the business as the demand for the product grew in the market. She began with participating at the annual national fair which takes place in Bogotá once every year. This is where Marisol was introduced to her first set of wholesale and retail clients.
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Because of insufficient orders and a slow business, her workshop initially supported the artisans only for about 3 months. Piel Acida, a Bogotá-based organization that works with artisans from all over Colombia, showed keen interest in supporting Marisol’s cotton and wire animal enterprise. They provided support in all aspects to Marisol and her team. These products have been displayed and sold at various international trade shows such as the ones in New York and Frankfurt.
Marisol’s enterprise has meant much more than the enhancement of her skill and business – it has been a steady source of income for tens of artisans from the Tabio countryside. Thanks to organizations like Piel Acida, these artisans now have a consistent source of income and they also feel a distinct sense of empowerment.
Marisol is happy to see the growth of her small artistic talent into an enterprise. The Tabio Mountains have transformed her from an ordinary employee at a plastic factory to an independent entrepreneur. Today, her little workshop and the women involved have a brighter future.
Materials
Materials
Dimensions
Dimensions
Care information
Care information
