Higher education Continued from page 48
Patricia Wakare weaves locally grown sisal into hand- bags for Village Markets of Africa, a fair-trade effort that helps artists provide for their families.
consumers in North America and artisan cooperatives of the Lutheran church in Kenya, both working for global economic justice,” he said. Those partnerships help artists provide life necessities for their families. That’s the point of fair trade, Schmalzle said, adding, “[It] eliminates exploitative middlemen and ensures that artisans are paid a fair price for their work up front.” VMA also has profit-sharing, he said, with artists
receiving a portion “in the form of grants for production upgrades, microcredit loans to facilitate growth and job- training to improve their production capacity.” Today VMA’s handcrafted clothing, accessories, jew-
elry, home decor and religious gifts offer consumers an “alternative way to shop that directly shares God’s love with our supplying artisans,” he said.
Calling a recent visit to a wool hat and scarf coopera- tive humbling, Schmalzle said, “[We] bought them a loom to develop their production abilities and they’ve had great success. ... They spent their profits to develop a train- ing program for women in their community to [join the] cooperative. I feel truly blessed every time I meet with our producers.
“I want people to understand the importance of mis- sions, fair trade and even how VMA’s church and school fundraising models provide a meaningful way to raise money while supporting [ELCA Global Mission]. When other companies outsource to sweatshops, that exploita- tion is passed on down the ladder. [When] we empower producers through fair trade, God’s love is what they pass on to others. ... There could be no greater reward.” Last year Schmalzle began collaborating with Witten-
Jacob Schmalzle (center) joins with Wittenberg University friends in Kenya, who have supported the mission of Village Markets of Africa.
berg’s new entrepreneurial-driven platform for business To learn more, visit
www.villagemarketsofafrica.com or email Jacob Schmalzle at
jacob@villagemarketsofafrica.com.
50 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
development. Known as WittEntrepreneurs, the program “strives to not only teach the fundamentals of entrepre- neurship to every Wittenberg student but to allow them to actually experience the ins and outs of running a business,” reads the description on the website. Wittenberg’s support is designed to expand VMA’s impact and give students the chance to explore the chal- lenges of running a real business, said Tom Kaplan, Ness Chair for Entrepreneurship and director of WittEntrepre- neurs. So the university hosts the VMA warehouse on cam- pus. Students manage inventory and order fulfillment for more than 200 fair-trade products. It’s a natural fit, said Schmalzle, adding, “VMA’s fair trade mission is very much in line with Wittenberg’s effort to mold young leaders who are ready to hit the ground run- ning and be a positive change in the world.” And it all began with a Wittenberg student. “Jacob’s commitment to service, not as a hobby but as a calling, is what Wittenberg fosters in its students,” Kaplan said. “The things we’re trying to teach our students about entrepre- neurship—as Jacob clearly shows—cross over into all parts of their lives.” Wittenberg has played an active role in the beginning and continuation of VMA, Schmalzle said. “Knowing that my alma mater is encouraging our future business lead- ers through our fair-trade model gives me hope that our impact will continue to grow,” he added. “On a larger scale, [providing] a sustainable and culturally appropriate way for people in developing countries to work their way out of poverty continues to be my inspiration and my motivation for sharing the story of Village Markets of Africa with the world.” M
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