Azizi Life’s collection of handcrafted boxes is a wonderful way to stay organized and hold your belongings beautifully, in fair trade style. Lightweight and oh-so-useful, this box is crafted with an overlay of woven banana leaves, and lined with cotton fabric. The Banana Panel Box is perfect for holding your belongings which need their own special place, whether it’s washcloths in the guest bathroom, camisoles in your closet, or condiments for your picnic. We also love to use this box to hold a hostess gift! Includes a beautiful tag sharing the name of the artisan and their cooperative. Perfect for gift giving—this special touch makes your gift even more meaningful. Azizi Life | Fair Trade | Handmade in Rwanda Azizi Life’s vision is to participate in local initiatives for the development of Rwandan communities, working towards physical and spiritual wholeness for all. Across the hills of Rwanda, groups of rural artisans are working to bring hope to their families through skillfully handcrafted goods. Azizi Life partners with over 60 independent groups- a total of over 760 artisan partners. Rising from the horrors of genocide, artisans from all backgrounds have joined together once again through their craft. Each artisan cooperative specializes in hand crafting products using specific techniques and raw materials. Azizi Life is honored to partner with these women and men, collaborating to connect makers, designers, and customers around the world. Azizi Life is committed to paying an agreed-upon fair wage to the artisans as soon as we receive their products. The additional income from the sale of their art allows the craftspeople & their families to afford many things that they struggled to get before: Medical insurance – improving health School materials for their children – improving education Soap and other cleaning products – improving hygiene A more balanced diet – improving nutrition Farm animals that multiply for income and provide manure – improving resources, soil quality and crop yield Financial independence- improving relationships with spouses and neighbors Having the money available to invest in these kinds of things provides a real sense of security and hope for the future for the artisan and her whole family. Many of the women with whom we are working have told us how isolated they felt before they joined an art cooperative. Now as they meet with others regularly, they have the opportunity to discuss their problems and provide support for each other. As the ladies sit together to weave or do some other artistic endeavor, they use the time to talk about all manner of things, from best farming practices to child rearing. It is a time when they are able to find mutual support and friendship which previously they did not have time for, as they worked full time in the fields and in their homes. In one community, this level of closeness is used to even bring reconciliation between the victims and perpetrators of the tragic events of 1994 (the Rwandan Genocide).
