Bridge for Africa seeks to share vibrant African art with others around the world by ensuring that the artists that create this work are rewarded with a fair and living wage, enabling them to shape their own lives and thereby advancing hope for future generations. The organization is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation which ensures the guarantee of fair wages, equal opportunities, safe working conditions, and long-term relationships built on mutual respect. Their commitment to Fair Trade is reflected in their name, Bridge, as an acronym that stands for: Building to Inspire Dignity, Growth and Empowerment.
Bridge for Africa carefully selects the projects with whom we partner to ensure their adherence to Fair Trade principles, but also to guarantee that they operate in line with the organization’s philosophy of empowering individuals. Bridge for Africa’s director, Thérèse Smith, a native of Zimbabwe, now lives in rural South Africa on the ground in Africa is an invaluable resource in this effort, and she herself has connected and identified many of the artists that the organization collaborates with. Volunteers traveling and working in Africa have brought additional groups to the organization’s attention. Currently, Bridge for Africa is partnering with artists in a number of African countries, including South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia.
Once Bridge for Africa has partnered with artisan groups, they work closely with them in developing and marketing their existing products and in evaluating new ones. This process includes reviewing samples, performing quality control assessments, and testing the market with a small selection of pieces.
As a non-profit, the organization’s first responsibility is to ensure that the artists they partner with are paid a fair wage as determined by their local economy and that they have a market for their goods. The sale of the goods covers shipping and other costs of bringing these African collectibles to the American marketplace. The balance of Bridge for Africa’s proceeds is returned to Africa as grants for job training and development and as seed money for new projects.
Bridge for Africa is proud to be making a difference through training former sex trade workers as seamstresses, building workshops and purchasing equipment for their artisans, sending women to computer and business classes, or providing desks for schoolchildren.
