Artisan Spotlight: Meet Achiro Paska

Meet Achiro Paska, an artisan in Uganda, and a member of the Ember Arts Artisan Group.

Nearly all of the women we partner with through Ember Arts are mothers, and part of the privilege of working with them is the opportunity to see their children grow throughout the years. The women of Ember frequently have babies and toddlers teetering through their office, and during training sessions, older children stop buy regularly to deliver messages from home and watch their mothers at work.

Achiro Paska's two youngest daughters, Emily and Evelin, have been staples at the Ember Arts office over the last few years, and she was happy to be asked to show them off and speak more about their lives.

When prompted to share her favorite part about being a mother, Paska couldn't choose; from pregnancy to teenagers, so far, she's loved it all. With six children from ages 14 months to 14 years,  she has certainly seen motherhood from many different angles. While she admits to getting annoyed when her children are quarreling with each other, most days she is happy to see them playing well together. They even have a favorite game that she couldn't quite explain through her laughter, apparently it's so funny that even the thought of it makes her giggle. 

Paska herself was left with relatives at the age of three, and grew up without a mother. She is determined to live her life differently, no matter what sort of trials she faces. Her advice to other mothers is "Love your children, whatever you are facing, and educate them. If you educate and love them it is good, because they are the future."

She is most proud of her children when they do well in school, and working to earn money for their school fees is her greatest concern. Her dream is that they will all finish their educations and never have to struggle the way she did growing up. 

We are thrilled to be partnering alongside hard-working mothers like Paska, and so grateful for the support of all the women- mothers and otherwise- that help make those dreams a reality.

Happy Mother's Day and thank you for supporting Fair Trade!

Celebrate Your Mom with Moms Around the World!

With Mother’s Day around the corner, OWM staff and volunteers have had a lot of fun picking out their favorite items that are perfect gifts to celebrate the day!

PLUS at One World Market you not only give a gift to your Mom but also to mothers around the world by shopping Fair Trade and providing them with a meaningful and respectful job!

Everyone loves the new Flip Stone Pendants from Minga Fair Trade in Peru:

Each pendant is double faced with a semi-precious stone, so you can change the color in an instant!

Need a gift for a cat loving Mom?

This mama cat and her kitten is a terra cotta lantern from Bangladesh which comes to us from an artisan group there made up of 4,000 women.  The group works with women regardless of caste, creed and race. It provides job training, develops leadership skills and generates awareness of the women’s plight.

Mom loves to garden?

This set of 3 elephant planters comes to us from the same group of women in Bangladesh.  It’s a perfect herb garden starter set!

 

We have planters in all shapes, sizes and colors.  Like this pretty green and white one from Vietnam.

Really, we’ve got all your planting needs covered!  From simple colors to whimsical frogs and birds, we have something every mom would love.

 

Simple gifts are great for moms too.  Stop by and pick up a marbled soapstone soap dish from India.  We love how it captures the suds from our soap, keeping our countertops puddle free!

Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 13th!  Shop Fair Trade at One World Market, and we’ll be happy to gift wrap all your gifts for Mom.

Artisan content provided by Ten Thousand Villages.