It was my pleasure this week to honour in the Legislature Ten Thousand Villages through a Private Member’s Statement, as well as to recognize the community contributions of the Steinbach location, and it’s near 30 volunteers and staff. Joining me in the gallery, I was able to personally recognize the hard work of Manager Heidi Martens, Assistant Manager Trudy Esau, Board Members Darlene Reimer, Susie Harder and Gordon Kornelson, and volunteers Liz Chapman, Virginia Fast, and Eleanore Thiessen.
Ten Thousand Villages is the oldest and largest Fair Trade Organization in North America, and began 70 Years ago when Edna Ruth Byler, a Mennonite Central Committee worker visited Puerto Rico and helped teach sewing classes in an effort to help improve the lives of women living in poverty.
Today, Ten Thousand Villages helps create opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets. I am proud to say that for nearly 30 years, the Steinbach location of Ten Thousand Villages has been open, and is run by the Steinbach Community Assistance Inc. Board.
This Christmas they will be hosting a gift campaign where you can make a donation on behalf of a loved one towards a project in a developing country, giving a family the gift of food, clean water, or livestock. Last year, they were able to raise more than $21,000 locally.
