Vineyard Spotlight: Sandi Erickson – Duluth Vineyard/Trades of Hope

sandi ericksonVJN asked Sandi Erickson to share her story of how the issue of human trafficking confronted her, as well as how she discovered a way to marry her gifts and skills with God-inspired creativity. Sandi Erickson is a an associate of Trades of Hope and a member of the Duluth Vineyard Church in Duluth, MN. Sandi can be reached at tradesofhope.sandi@gmail.com.

I first heard about human and sex trafficking at a national Vineyard conference in 2009.  I was shocked because I had no idea, living my sheltered Western world life, this was happening to people.  I cried through the whole thing.  I remember feeling overwhelmed.  But as a stay at home mom with three young children, I was lost as to what I could actually do about it- it’s such a huge issue, so I didn’t do much of anything. I prayed, I read about trafficking and slavery and began to educate myself.  But the issue of slavery, sex trafficking and desire for God’s justice never left my heart. I joined the Vineyard Justice Network to connect with like-minded people. Through that group I learned that sex trafficking is intimately related to poverty, economic opportunity and even environmental change.

Fast forward a few years, I had looked into restarting my Social Work career, but I wasn’t sure if my heart was still in it. Friends in my church had joined a local human trafficking task force and were praying about how to get involved. I joined this group, stepped out of my comfort zone and we began a strip club ministry.  We also hosted a community event in January (National Human Trafficking Awareness Month).   That is where I first learned about Trades of Hope.  That is when my passions and desire to earn an income came together; and when the adventure really began.

Trades of  Hope was founded in 2010 as a means to do justice and to speak for those without a voice. They are a direct sales business based on the home party model; it is a party with a purpose.  Their purpose is to empower women around the world out of poverty.  We sell artisan handmade fair trade, products to customers who want to make a difference in the world through their purchasing power. Trades of Hope also provides American women entrepreneurial business opportunities. It’s a win-win.

The problem with modern globalization and free-trade practices is that most producers- be they farmers or artisans, do not know the true value of the crop or product they produce. They are also dependent on global distributers to get their products to a market. Many of those distributers buy as cheaply as they can from the producer.  Fair trade practice is different. Trades of Hopes pays 100% of an artisan’s asking price, so they make a livable wage. The groups are paid up-front and in full before their product is shipped to the U.S.  Fair trade principles also ensure, safe working conditions, reasonable work hours, and no child labor.  These fair trade groups often give back to their communities with medical care, education and clean drinking water.

Currently, we partner with 22 different artisan groups from 12 countries. Each one of these groups is employing women who have been commercially sexually exploited, abused, widowed, acid attacked or are sick with leprosy, HIV or other diseases. They are earning an income with dignity through the sales of their beautiful creations.  These women are not in poverty because they lack ability, it’s because they lack opportunity.  But we are changing that! Through job creation, these women now provide food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care for their families.

A couple of weeks ago, at our Trades of Hope training retreat, I had the privilege of meeting some of the artisans from one of our groups in Guatemala (in the photo at the top!).  They employ young women who are now international business women!

Ilma, (on the left)a 22 year old young women is now the COO of Gracia, the jewelry business that started out of Casa Hogar, a home for girls.

They make our Julia Necklace and Identity Bracelet.

sandi braclet

Ilma was raised in a poor, rural mountain village with a dirt floor and corrugated tin roof.  There was little hope of education, employment or a future.  But now, because she is working at Gracia, she is budgeting and saving money with her income.  She recently purchased a motorcycle to have her own transportation!  This is the very first possession she’s ever owned, let alone purchased herself!

Guatemala is extremely poor, with 7 out of 10 people of indigenous descent living in poverty. Two thirds of  them are children. It is very difficult to get an adoption from Guatemala approved in the United States, so many poor, rural children can end up in orphanages. When they leave these orphanages at age 18, they often have little education or skills, so they become easy prey for sex traffickers. Women especially are extremely vulnerable.

This is what makes Trades of Hope so important. By marketing and selling their hand-made products to U.S. customers, we are not only assisting young women in Guatemala to earn a sustainable wage; we are giving them a chance at so much more.  They receive dignity, business training, education, health care and respect in their community. This opportunity provides a better life not only for them but for generations to come.

Trades of  Hope uses the home party because it’s a proven business model. It provides women in the United States with business opportunity by becoming independent Compassionate Entrepreneurs.  Rather than set up a storefront or host a website, using the home party model conscripts an army of businesswomen who become champions for the poorest women in the world. Through this model, the impact on women in poverty will be magnified many times over. In 2014 alone, we helped employ 6,585 artisans.  Those in turn impacted over 26,000 people.  That might not seem like much compared to the number of people in extreme poverty, but it’s a start.

sandi toh

I’ve never considered myself a “businesswoman” or sales person. If anyone would have told me I would work in direct sales, I would have laughed. But you know what? I love my job! I love knowing that every day what I’m doing is impacting lives around the world.

Our main goal at Trades of Hope is to eradicate human trafficking by eliminating poverty through job creation. It might sound crazy and impossible, but if it didn’t seem impossible, the goal isn’t a God sized goal, right? My objective is to tell as many people as I come in contact with about our business opportunity and recruit them to Trades of Hope.  Imagine the impact we will have on poverty as this army of business owners spreads the hope of what we are doing!