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Our Work
Mercado Global empowers rural artisan entrepreneurs across the Americas to lift their families out of poverty through business training and access to international markets.
Through our nonprofit model, we strengthen communities and families, weaving market access, community-based education, and asset development into a program focused on financial independence to overcome poverty.
Our Model
Community-based Education
Artisans enhance their leadership and business skills through a holistic education program. For most of our partner artisans, this is their first opportunity to receive a formal education.
Market Access
Rural artisans highly skilled in traditional weaving techniques often face limited access to markets. We connect these artisans to international sales opportunities with fashion brands and major retailers.
Asset Development
We provide artisans with the tools they need, like sewing machines and foot looms, to not only work on orders for international retailers with Mercado Global, but also to start their own local businesses.
We believe that empowered artisan entrepreneurs are key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
When rural artisans are provided with access to markets, business training, and the tools they need to succeed, they unlock their potential and build a better future for themselves and their communities.
On average, women invest 90% of their wages back into their families.
They are more likely to send their daughters to school and improve their families’ health, making them catalysts for sustainable change in their communities.
The power of artisan entrepreneurship is real, and it can transform entire regions.
When we choose ethically-sourced products that support artisan communities and sustainable production, we move closer to a more inclusive and equitable global economy—for all of us.
