I am excited to share the news of the official launch of ShopatMAP.org. ShopatMAP is an online boutique, offering artisan handmade, eco-friendly jewelry and accessories. Our products are ethically sourced from emerging and disadvantaged artisans including survivors of domestic violence, single mothers, individuals with disabilities, individuals living in extreme poverty and young entrepreneurs.
Each purchase not only helps provide a lifeline to emerging and struggling artisans but also helps fund education and essential provisions to impoverished children through MAP’s child poverty initiatives.
ShopatMAP was founded to further MAP’s mision. Working side-by-side since 2008 as leaders of MAP, Delfarib Fanaie and I, witnessed the challenges and lack of economy faced by people living in developing communities. It became evident that in order to further our mission, we need to branch out MAP programs. This insight and the desire to create a path of sustainability for MAP, led to the birth of ShopatMAP.
Breaking the cycle of generational poverty in developing communities is a complex and multi-faceted issue. There are various reasons why impoverished young adults struggle to move beyond their circumstances. One of them being that children and young adults living in disadvantaged communities face constant pressures to leave school and enter the labor market so they can contribute to their family income. Without proper education, their employment prospects are limited to employment in the day labor market.
Children who are born into families who earn a living though a craft, usually follow their parents into this trade and become artisans, themselves. As a matter of fact, handcraft production is one of the largest forms of employment in the world and the only means of employment for many people living in rural communities. But many hardworking, talented artisans living in these communities, struggle to make an income due to limited access to marketplaces.
The ShopatMAP team is deeply committed to elevating the lives of these artisans by ethically sourcing their products and providing them with dignified wages. We not only purchase their craft, but also empower them with holistic social programs such as financial literacy and vocational training. Additionally, we reinvest in these communities through MAP’s education, vocational training and essential provision programs that strengthen the community and its future.
Please visit ShopatMAP.org to discover our fashionable, eco-friendly and ethically sourced jewelry and accessories. Your purchase of these beautiful artisanal pieces, helps create equity and sustainability in marginalized communities, ultimately helping break the cycle of generational poverty.
The launch of ShopatMAP would not be possible without the hard work, love and commitment of the team leading this venture. I am deeply grateful to their daily efforts and your patronage of this venture.
With sincere thanks,
Ladan Judge
Founder, CEO
ShopatMAP.org
