Social enterprise | The Noah Project

The World Fair Trade Organization is celebrating Women’s History Month with a series of podcasts featuring Fair Trade Enterprises started and run by women.

Allison Havens founded Yabal Handicrafts in Guatemala to keep alive indigenous weaving techniques and create livelihoods for local women. Today, the women producers are becoming the main income earners in their family and challenging gender norms. Her story unpacks what it means to truly prioritize local producers over increasing profits – getting to the heart of what makes an enterprise mission-led.

Bethlehem founded Entoto Beth in Ethiopia as a social enterprise. Today, her enterprise gives opportunities for 200 women in marginalized communities. She upcycles bullet-casings and has adopted Fair Trade to create jewelry and bags for global markets.

Donna Balkan of the Canadian Cooperative Association encourages “Canadian Co-operators to get ready for Co-op Week.”

October 13-19 is Co-op Week in Canada, a time for co-op members and employees to highlight the contributions of co-operatives to Canadian society and to promote the co-operative business model to the broader community. The week is timed to coincide with International Credit Union Day (October 17), which has been marked on the third Thursday in October since 1948.

Co-operatives all over the country are holding special activities during the week, including conferences, receptions, banquets, co-op tours, flag-raisings, employee events and even a co-op curling bonspiel. A number of Canadian newspapers, including the prestigious Globe and Mail, are running special features on co-operatives during the week, and politicians frequently highlight Co-op Week in the House of Commons and provincial legislatures.

The theme of Co-op Week 2013 is “A Better Way”, positioning co-operatives as an effective and sustainable alternative to other business models. (In French, the theme is “Coopérer pour un monde meilleur”, which translates as “Co-operating for a better world.”)