Who is Her?

 

• She is the ethnic minority woman who was married off as a child and now has one herself.

• She is the domestic violence survivor who never wants her children to undergo the trauma she had to endure.

• She is the woman who was disabled through the still-lingering effects of agent orange and wants to give life to her child that she will never have.

• She is the woman with a baby and a husband who abandoned her to face the harsh experience of raising a child alone in a world that scorns single mothers.

• She is every low-income mother who wants to use the skills she has to provide a brighter future for her child.

 

General Information

 

HerCraft is a Coins for Change social and business initiative that increases livelihood standards for disadvantaged women and their families within the Quang Nam and Hue provinces. Through the development of traditional handicraft methods adapted for the modern market, HerCraft nurtures sustainable, cooperative business models that improve the financial and social capacity of women’s groups, as well as contribute to community development.

 

Traditionally, ethnic minority women within these provinces primarily make their living by collecting local forest products and cutting down trees, none of which are replaced and are actively depleting local forest resources. While this program aims to improve living standards and gender equality in our project areas, it will have the additional effect of preserving local environments that are being stressed with the overuse of natural resources by using sustainably sourced materials for our products. By developing a model of women collaborating in production and handicraft trading in two main sites, the project will generate a sustainable income for women and communities involved, while indirectly benefiting areas around them by reducing local forest degradation and empowering disenfranchised women.

 

Mothers who already have some handicraft skills from different provinces are trained through the Hercraft program in crafts such as knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and sewing. They are guided to create fun products under the Hercraft brand and all profits are used to help these women build new lives. By purchasing a Hercraft product, you can join us in helping disenfranchised women take steps towards financial independence and stability while having a cute, handmade creature at home!