It began with baskets. Now the Asante Network (asante means “thank you” in Swahili) also sells jewelry, clothing, stoles and more—all made by women in East Africa (888-627-4543).
In 2002 a missionary friend asked Mary Ann Sheets-Hanson of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lafayette, Calif., to sell baskets made by Ugandan women.
Sheets-Hanson became a one-woman traveling bazaar, sending the profits to Stand With Africa and other global church projects (May 2004, "Bringing baskets to market").
Now the nonprofit is an all-volunteer group and member of the Fair Trade Federation. Profits still fund projects and microloans in Africa.
© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
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