Who are the Báko Artisans?

Nigeria

Our Nigerian bags come from a widow’s ministry in the far north of the country. In Nigerian culture, when a woman’s husband dies, the husband’s family has rights to all of the man’s property; including his house, money, his children and his wife. If the family chooses to take everything, the woman suddenly finds herself with her life and children taken from her. Usually she has no education or skill making her unemployable and desperate to survive.  The widow’s ministry is a place where women find relief and hope. Through the ministry they learn the trade of tailoring and craft making, they receive literacy classes, Christian discipleship classes, business classes, life skills classes and they are fed one nutritious meal every day. The crafts that the women make while they are in training are the crafts that we sell at Báko. The income generated from the sale of the bags supports the ministry and training of the women. On graduation day from the training program, each woman is given a sewing machine to launch her business which will then provide a way for them to start again, supporting themselves and their children.

Philippines

Our Philippine bags come from a corporation with a fairtrade philosopy founded  over 9 years ago with the intent of helping Filipinos find gainful employment . With the belief that eco-friendly fashion is key to their sustainability, the corporation focuses on using discarded material that are not useful to others anymore to make high quality, fashion bags. Many Filipinos find themselves living with the stark reality of poverty, unable to support their families and send their children to school. The low standards of living are the result of very low employment levels and constant threat of destructive typhoons. The Philippines is comprised of over 7000 islands and is located in the middle of the typhoon highway. A location where it is not a matter of if a typhoon will come, it is when. Year after year, they live with the effects of typhoons ravaging and destroying their homes and land with rebuilding and recovering being costly and exhausting. The crafts that Báko sells from the Philippines gives the opportunity of employment primarily to women.  Women are trained in the bag making skills which provides them with income that brings food to the table, provides school fees for the children’s education and hope for a better way of life.