"The village had no running water, no electricity, no schools and no medical facilities," Smucker says.

The villagers have made a living by selling handmade kaisa grass baskets to Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit organization that acquires handicrafts from 30 Third World countries and sells them across North America.

The International Gift Faire, which will be held at the Lincoln Glen Church fellowship hall, 2700 Booksin Ave., Oct. 11­12, is one of the many fairs whose proceeds are used to support Third World craftsmen so they can provide better nutrition, housing, education and health care for their families.

In the Bangladesh village, through a translator, Smucker asked a basket-maker whether the orders from Ten Thousand Villages have made a difference in his life. The man replied, "Yes. Now I can feed my children twice a day."

"I was devastated," Smucker says. "I wanted to come home right away and sell more baskets because if I sell more baskets, he may be able to feed his children three times a day."

The experience is one of the stories Smucker likes to tell every year to motivate volunteers, who come from all over the Bay Area to set up, run and clean up after the fair.

"Someday I would like to go back to find that the village's children can now eat three times a day," Smucker adds.

The Willow Glen fair features a variety of handmade items, ranging from musical instruments to toys.

"This is a way to empower people in Third Wold countries," says Willow Glen resident Joanne Rafferty, who has volunteered as a planning committee member for 13 years. "There are no middlemen. We really endeavor to see all the money go to the artisans."

Without going through companies and middlemen, Ten Thousand Villages can give 40­60 percent of its revenues directly back to the artisans. Last year its sales through stores and gift fairs garnered about $7 million nationwide and helped more than 60,000 people.

"Even if you don't want to buy, looking at the crafts is a pleasure itself," Rafferty says. "It's like talking a mini trip around the world."

Willow Glen started its own fair 14 years ago, when Evelyn Heinrich and Marcella Claassen, members of local Mennonite churches, learned about Ten Thousand Villages. Since they could not commit to running a full-time shop, they decided to hold a two-day fair. Since then, the fair has become an annual event and has been growing. Last year's event in Willow Glen brought in more than 1,500 visitors and $57,000 in revenues.

Rafferty says she sees an increasing need for the fair. According to the World Hunger Education Service, 800 million people cannot feed themselves. About 1.2 billion people in Third World countries struggle to survive on $1 or less a day.

"We want these artisans to make a good living and provide education for their children," Rafferty says.

Many artisans who make a living by selling crafts at the fair include refugees, spouses of "disappeared" human rights activists, illiterate villagers and landless peasants.

Rafferty says the success of the fair can be attributed to the growing enthusiasm and ranks of volunteers. The fair has recruited about 150 volunteers for this year's event.

"The enthusiasm just keeps growing each year," Rafferty says.

For Rafferty personally, the fair has helped relieve the grief of losing her son 13 years ago.

"At first, I thought I couldn't do it," Rafferty says. "But I found I could give something and took care of the emptiness I was feeling. It was a giving project."

The International Gift Faire will be held at the Lincoln Glen Church fellowship hall, 2700 Booksin Ave., from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 11, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 12. For more information, call 408.264.1662 or visit www.internationalgiftfaire.com.