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Otomí is a Bristol-based partnership with fair trade policies established in 2006, to provide development assistance to art and craft areas in rural Mexico, as well as helping families to trade directly. We mainly trade with female artisans, supporting women’s empowerment.
To make a story short
For decades, poor rural communities in central Mexico, like the Otomí, Triqui and Huichol have been desperate to address their basic needs: clean water, health, education, energy and employment, and we are trying to help. We proudly take our name from an Indian community, where beautiful bark paintings are made.
The introduction of cheap USA maize into Mexico in the early 1990’s devastated the Otomí agricultural livelihood, forcing many men to leave their families behind for the big cities, or to try and cross the border to the USA illegally.
A census in 1999 showed that some 30% of Otomí women of childbearing age were single mothers. Separations, emigration, and deaths have left an extremely high number of women in this most difficult situation. Bringing up children without the help of a spouse means that these ladies must earn some money through their paintings, beadwork and embroidery, as well as attend to their children… earning around US$1.50 per day. The solution the single mothers identified and chose to work on was to find a better market for their goods.
Our commitment
Producers will receive a fair price for their goods and advances on orders, and we will work with producers to provide quality products.
Purchase and marketing of producers' goods are conducted according to high ethical standards; continuity of orders is paramount.
Sources, production and work places not to exploit people or the environment. Natural sources are from sustainable farms.
Consumers will be informed about the people who make the products they purchase, increasing their loyalty and understanding that their purchasing power makes a difference.
We will pay for the production of your item in advance. Producers will have money to obtain their working materials.
We cost the items accurately so that they make a good living from the products you buy.
We are working to delivery times stated by our producers and communities we work for, and not by us.
And more importantly, we commit to return 100% of the original price we paid for your item, back to the producers and their communities.
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