Our experience is in Viet Nam, where we are located.

Earlier this week we met with a Mong ethnic minority group from an area North of Ha Noi, they are a cooperative of 100 women. We currently purchase  woven hemp from this group for our bath loofah products. We  gave them an introduction to loofah growing from our lead farmer in Ha Tay province. We have provided this Mong group with seeds and the plan is that they will start immediately with 10 farmers as a pilot and we will assist them with any technical inputs they require to grow and dry the loofah over the next few months. This group have been very successful in cultivating and weaving hemp, however they are a bit cautious in starting a new crop.

Once the hemp is harvested, we will work with them to produce various loofah products for export. We plan to repeat this process in a couple of other provinces.

This will be a slow process of scaling up over about 2 years, however from what I understand from their experience in introducing the hemp cultivation/weaving, once the farmers saw the initial cultivation with a small group it was then scaled up quite significantly the following year.

Even after seeing artisans around the world, I love the women artisans in Guatemala that I work with through Education And More, a Fair Trade nonprofit who helps artisans in the western highlands of Guatemala.

I spend lots of time with the women and the most impressive is one group that is the most impoverished of all the groups we work with.  They live in quite desperate conditions-- many have dirt floors, only an open pit for a fire to cook on, toilets are mostly nonexistant, etc.

My most memorable  remembrance was when we took brand new leather shoes to all the women of the group and to many of the children.  One of the women, who has 6 children, told us this was the first pair of good shoes she has ever owned.  (She wears plastic flipflops) She was nearly moved to tears with the gift.

This group of women artisans are so generous and giving even amid their poverty-- that it makes our work in helping them a real pleasure.  They always want me to sit and have lunch and they make homemade tortillas, beans and rice-- because they know I love homemade tortillas!

This group weaves not only on backstrap looms but also with a floor pedal loom and does exquisite work! We are working with them on several new designs of handcrafts to help them even more. We also will be looking into building new outhouses next year for each member of the group that needs one.

We love to help these women support their families and have come to regard them as friends because of the close relationship we have formed.  How can we not help our friends!  I always looking forward to another batch of homemade tortillas and the hugs that comes with visiting this group!

The Women's Bean Project is a non-profit business dedicated to helping women break the cycle of poverty and unemployment. Our goal is to provide each program participant with a safe, accepting work environment where she can learn to identify and build upon her talents while building the skills necessary to get and keep mainstream employment. We do this by providing employment training in our gourmet food production business.

Each program participant begins her time at the Bean Project on the production line. During the initial Probationary and Stabilization period, participants focus on the basic skills needed for employment such as coming to work on time and staying on task.

As participants move into the second phase of employment, expectations increase to include individual goal setting and team leadership, and the focus broadens to include skills such as problem solving and effective communication.

Training tracks provide our program participants with the opportunity to work in various departments throughout the organization, offering them additional skills and the chance to try different kinds of work. Training tracks are offered in reception, shipping and receiving, sales and marketing, off-site sales, public speaking, and accounting.

The program has three basic components, each designed to address areas that serve as barriers to getting and keeping employment.

Basic Needs Immediately after intake, our focus is to facilitate each woman's access to services to help her meet her Basic Needs:

• Housing
• Transportation
• Child Care
• Health Care
• Counseling/Coaching

Life Skills Weekly life skills classes support growth in self confidence and personal responsibility and impart crucial tools needed for employment:

• Goal Setting
• Planning and Organizing
• Health Promotion
• Empowerment
• Self Esteem
• Computer Classes
• GED Classes
• Job Search Techniques
• Resume Preparation
• Interviewing

Fundamental Job Readiness Through work in our hands-on food manufacturing business, women learn the skills that employers say they are not getting in entry level applicants:

• Attendance and Punctuality
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Problem Solving
• Respect for Authority
• Quality Control
• Positive Attitude
• Willingness to Learn

Throughout the course of six months, we work with program participants to help them discover their capabilities and interests. As they approach the end of their training, participants will decide whether to further their education, access more training through another community nonprofit, or search for a new job.