Imagine not having the financial means to feed your own children. Imagine feeling you have no other choice than to work long days in a sweatshop or to turn to prostitution to gain enough income to provide at all for them. Imagine feeding your child pies made out of clay because that is all you have. For most of us in the United States, this is not our reality, but for women in many other countries this is a daily struggle. Not only are they not able to feed and provide for their children, but they are living in gang and drug-infested neighborhoods. They are caught up in a cycle of poverty that one must live in to completely comprehend.
In March, 2015, while on her husband’s pastoral internship, Wendy Daiker, a Wartburg Theological Seminary spouse, felt a call to help women. Initially, Wendy felt these women were local to the Iowa town where she was living, but she soon learned that God was calling her to a much broader community. This was affirmed when Wendy’s husband, Joe, connected her to a friend who was a Compassionate Entrepreneur for Trades of Hope. Wendy quickly realized that God was calling her to help women through Trades of Hope on a global scale. It was then that Wendy became a Compassionate Entrepreneur for Trades of Hope.
Trades of Hope was started in 2010 and was created to empower women worldwide and to create jobs for them. According to the Trades of Hope Fall 2015 catalog, “We want every mother to be able to break the cycle of poverty-for herself and her children. Parents who are working can provide basic necessities, support, and protection for families.” Trades of Hope does this by marketing the handmade products of artisans through a home party model. Compassionate Entrepreneurs (CEs) bring the products (jewelry, handbags, home décor, etc.) into homes and share both the products and the stories of the artisans who have made the products. Products are sold and the artisans are given a fair wage for their work, a wage that helps them support themselves and their families. Currently, Trades of Hope represents 28 groups of artisans (over 6500 artisans!) in 16 countries.
The artisans are mainly women and their stories are as varied as their fingerprints. Some are trying to create a better life for their family. Others were rescued from the sex trade industry or have diseases such as AIDS or leprosy. Still others have aged out of orphanages and have nowhere to go. They are women who do not want charity, but do want an opportunity to better their lives. These artisans are given new hope and confidence that they can break the cycle of poverty through their handmade goods and with the accompaniment of Trades of Hope. Wendy’s favorite part of being a Compassionate Entrepreneur is “knowing that what I do empowers other people and makes a difference.”
You can learn more about Trades of Hope by visiting Wendy’s Trades of Hope website or by liking her Facebook page “Wendy Daiker Trades of Hope.”
The Persistent Voice 