I have had the good fortune to be in touch with Rebecca Kousky, the young founder of Nest. Nest is a not for profit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women artisans in developing countries by helping them build entrepreneurial arts and crafts businesses. Nest helps artisans start up or expand crafts businesses through micro-credit loans which they use to purchase supplies with which to create their crafts or run their businesses. Artisans repay their loans not with money but with their products, which Nest then sells online. Nest also sells the arts and crafts of more established artisans. A percentage of the proceeds from sales by these craftswomen are set aside to provide micro loans for other artisans.
Rebecca has very kindly agreed to work with our friends in Kullakas Cooperative, seeing what she might be able to do for them in terms of marketing their products, or perhaps giving them advise for creating new products that appeal to young people. For their part, Kullakas is meeting in Bolivia this week to decide how to proceed with working with Rebecca and Nest. It is an exciting collaboration, the results of which are still uncertain, but I will remain grateful to and humbled by Rebecca for her willingness to investigate a possible collaboration with the women.
Please take a look at Rebecca's web site: www.buildanest.com . She also as a great blog http://nest-buildanest.blogspot.com , and there is a fabulous little video, taking maybe 6-7 minutes, of an interview with Rebecca on CNN on their news show "Young People that Rock".
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2007/08/10/ypwr.intv.rebecca.kousky.cnn
Rebecca definitely is a "young person who rocks", and one who is working tirelessly and selflessly to create a better world for women artisans. Consider her web site next time you need a gift that you know will do double duty--making the recipient happy, as well as providing an artist in the developing world with the gift of an income.
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