The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Kristi Higgins Hewitt

A Star Is Born: International Gift Faire volunteer Linda Sekiguchi displays palm-frond stars she witnessed women creating on a recent visit to Thailand. Gifts from 30 countries will be on sale at the faire Nov. 7-8.

Annual faire aims to improve lives of Third World workers

Project strives for better schooling and medical care

By Annette Ha

Willow Glen shoppers who crowd the aisles of Lincoln Glen Church on Nov. 7 and 8 will see an array of exotic handicrafts--baskets, ornaments, pottery, toys, jewelry--and most will scoop up an item or two.

A few weeks from now, the International Gift Faire will make its ninth annual appearance in Willow Glen, showcasing crafts made by hand in 30 Third World nations around the globe. The artwork is imported by Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit marketing and job-creation program sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee.

The goal of the faire and of the organization "is to help people in the Third World be independent," faire spokesperson Norma Voth said. "Their standard of living is so meager compared to ours."

By buying the works of artisans (many of whom are refugees, illiterate villagers and landless peasants) in countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, El Salvador and Kenya, the organization enabled many of them to feed their children, send them to school and get adequate medical care.

According to Voth, TTV does not patronize or exploit those they help. "We want to increase their standard of living not through a handout or a gift, but through respect for their dignity and their work."

Unlike Cost Plus or Pier 1, stores that import handicrafts through a middleman, TTV is strictly nonprofit. They pay artisans a 50 percent advance when an order has been placed so raw materials can be bought and workers paid. After the items are shipped, the remaining balance is sent.

One of the main reasons that TTV can pay artisans well is because of its force of volunteers. Nearly 100 from Willow Glen and the surrounding area help run the faire every year. The TTV store in Los Gatos, which sells Third World handicrafts year-round, is staffed almost wholly by volunteers.

Adrianne Durfee, a Willow Glen volunteer for the past five years, is in charge of recruiting. She encourages others to donate their time. "[Volunteering] may be a drop in the bucket, but it's for a good cause," she said. "You're helping people who really do need help."

Another Willow Glen volunteer, Linda Sekiguchi, is such an ardent supporter of TTV that she recently went on a trip to India and Thailand to meet the people whose crafts she has been promoting for the past nine years.

She saw firsthand the health clinics, the adult education classes and the lack of child labor that was made possible by the crafts program. "This confirms my strong belief in fair trade practices where artisans are paid a fair wage," she said.

Volunteers like Sekiguchi are the foundation of the International Gift Faire, Voth said. The organization is always looking for more volunteers to do a variety of tasks, from putting up signs to sending out pamphlets to cashiering.

The faire is expected to draw between 1,100 and 1,200 people, depending on the weather. "It's guilt-free shopping," Durfee said.

Also, the inventory changes every year. "When we open up boxes, it's like Christmas," she said with a laugh. She warns shoppers that "if you see something you like, buy it, because it might not be there next time."

The faire will be held at 2700 Booksin Ave., Nov 7 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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