Non-Governmental Organizations and Craft Producers: Exchanges South and North

Free Trade, Alternative Trade and Women in Peru

“…To assist with this form of economic development, local and international intermediaries and producers involved in the making and selling of handicrafts often are incorporated, at least in certain areas of activity, as nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, and simultaneously as alternative trade organizations, or ATOs. Incorporation allows these groups to benefi t from the protections offered to such agencies in the form of support systems, donations, and tax exemptions, and to put their profi ts into social obligations rather than into business owners' bank accounts (Henrici, 1999(Henrici, , 2002(Henrici, , 2003. These are pragmatic, if seemingly nontraditional arrangements.…”

“…Still others help women and their communities by navigating between fostering change among community members and supporting their reinvestment in traditional lifestyles. Many of these ATOs have been in operation for several decades (Henrici, 2003).…”

“…In contrast, the majority of those they assist with training, marketing, and business management are lower-income women who have a mixture of ethnic identities including the indigenous, and are from a range of places throughout Peru. Further, all of these Peruvian groups must work with organizations of the Global North, with still other identities, as well as other objectives (Henrici, 2003).…”

“…For the middle-person, in this case the NGO-ATO worker mediating between artisans and international agencies and buyers, retaining respect for un-romanticized concerns on the part of the crafts producers while maneuvering within expectations and stereotypes on the part of those with money can be diffi cult. (Henrici, 2003) So-called fair trade may be additionally problematic within these exchanges because of inconsistencies in payment and expenses in contrast to sales. Fair trade, like free trade, can reinforce false constructs of identity, occupation, and gender and end up failing to send the money earned by, and owed to, the producers of the goods.…”

“…Fair trade, like free trade, can reinforce false constructs of identity, occupation, and gender and end up failing to send the money earned by, and owed to, the producers of the goods. Opportunities can arise, and so can restrictions (Henrici, 2003).…”