THE ZOE PROJECT
Jewellery Pot feel priviliged to
support the exclusive
importers of products made
by the Zoe project in Peru.
The Zoe project was started
by Joanna Heywood in 2000.
The project produces several
competitively priced ranges of
jewellery, their
collections include the
incredibly popular ?Semilla?
range made from seeds and
nuts
sourced from the Amazon
jungle.
The importers work hand in
hand with the Zoe project
giving them valuable business
and design advice ensuring
that their products will
appeal to the western
market. The women who work
for Zoe
live in the shantytowns on the
outskirts of Lima, and have
varying degrees of skill. The
importers work hard to
ensure
that work can be provided for
people of regardless of their
skill levels, and each new
collection is designed
collaboratively with the
women taking into
consideration availability of
materials and building on
existing techniques. They
make the products in their
own homes enabling them to
earn a living wage without
having to leave their children
and are paid to train others
what they have learnt, so the
project is enabling increasing
numbers of Peru's poorest
women and young people to
have the opportunity of fairly
paid employment.
A
guaranteed minimum order
every month ensures that
the project is sustainable and
the people have regular
work.
The importers are
also working with them on
their IFAT application, which
will give the project official
fair trade status.
