Our Story
In 2012, my wife and I, along with our one-year-old son, moved to the country of Pakistan. Having a background in teaching, I hoped to provide assistance to various schools by conducting teacher trainings, and nine years (plus three additional sons later), I was still working in the Pakistani education sector. Then came 2020, when Pakistan experienced severe lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time many factory workers lost their jobs, and lacking financial savings, were left without any means of supporting their families. Earning money became increasingly difficult, and daily necessities like buying food and paying rent were transformed into unexpected burdens. Even as we helped to provide ration packs, those involved in confronting this humanitarian crisis soon realized that supply distribution was not a sustainable model. Instead, we saw the need to bring reliable income back into the communities that we were helping. My friend Salas, who was overseeing food-pack distribution at the time, began asking the same questions I was: “What can be done long-term? How can we meaningfully lift families out of poverty?” Salas already had experience in business and leather-crafting, and so we decided that together, we would start a leather-goods company, and Village Crafted was born.
Our Mission
The model is simple: Find local skilled craftsmen and connect them to a larger market. And because we want to see change happen in communities, we desire for these craftsmen to not only make quality products, but also to teach others the same skill, thereby helping to further alleviate poverty within their circle of influence. Although we are producing only belts at the moment, we hope that in time, the growth of Village Crafted will allow us to expand into other products and hire more workers. We seek to offer fair wages that will enable these craftsmen to send their children to school and provide a sustainable life to their family. We believe that, if an impoverished segment of society is blessed with a consistent income that is earned by hard work, it decreases the need for charity and empowers local residents to positively impact the wellbeing of their communities.
Who We Partner With
We partner with organizations and individuals who likewise view business as a means for not only promoting one’s economic standing, but also for benefiting society as a whole.
Our Values
- To provide a consistent and fair income to all those who make our products.
- To improve the communities of those who make our products.
- To promote mutual respect in all working relationships, from the craftsmen to the buyers.
- To deliver the highest-quality products to our customers.
