"Our work is very important to us, as it is what enables us to live, to help each other and to meet the needs of our families."
--Illies Mouhmoud

Before organizing with his friends to start UPAP (Union Peasants for Self Development), Illies Mouhmoud traveled through France for several years, selling his jewelry from a backpack. Today, he is a master craftsman and founder of (UPAP), an artisan group that creates traditional Tuareg jewelry in his village of Terhazer, Niger.

The Tuareg are the descendants of Berbers, an indigenous people of North Africa, and are renowned for their exquisite silver work. Mouhmoud makes jewelry using the lost-wax method, an ancient practice used for complex casting. He creates a wax mold, forms clay around it, and pours molten silver into the hardened clay. Mouhmoud then etches designs and adds ebony inlay or jewels--delicate reflections of his people’s artisanship.

Designer Stacey Spivak of Ten Thousand Villages, one of the largest fair trade companies in the world, collaborates with Mouhmoud to adapt traditional Tuareg designs to the U.S. marketplace; she helps to simplify the traditional, ornate jewelry to make it more marketable and affordable to U.S. customers. With the help of the Mennonite Central Committee, parent organization of Ten Thousand Villages, Mouhmoud has created an independent bank account through which he now manages UPAP’s business.

A severe famine struck the country in 2005, and jewelry orders from Ten Thousand Villages helped Mouhmoud and others provide for their families during that dire time. "The artists were able to help their families in the most affected areas of Niger,” he says, adding that “being able to support ourselves rather than simply receive aid builds our dignity." More recently, Mouhmoud sent a heartfelt letter to Ten Thousand Villages thanking them for giving his villagers hope during a recent drought.

Fair trade is especially vital for those living in the landlocked, desert planes of Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world. Artisans working with UPAP use the income they make to supplement their subsistence farming — small growth farming that typically only feeds the immediate family — and other livelihoods.

Find ornate fair trade jewelry that supports artisans such as Illies here.