Micro Enterprise Development

Your help is needed in developing some product lines that benefit our nonprofit organization as well as provide income for low income women, youth, and families. Cooperatives are well established structures for promoting micro enterprise. Collective Roots needs your help in utilizing these time honored approaches to generating income in resource starved communities.

These are some sample ideas:

Herbal Bath Product
Herbal Bath Products that are grown and dried by youth and then packaged in colorful hand made bags produced by a Mothers Cooperative.

"Motherbags" and "Rootbags"
Huge hand made bags for shopping at farmers' markets, going to the beach, etc. This bag is the 'mother of all bags,' the 'go to' bag that you grab when all the others aren't big enough to do the job. Each bag is hand made, uniquely decorated, uses recycled cloth and other decorative elements, and produced by a Mothers' Cooperative. Designs and art are created by local women, youth, and volunteer artists working in collaboration. Patterns for the bags are developed by professional designers and shared with members of the cooperative. Micro loans are made to seed production, including purchase of cloth, sewing machines, etc.

Garden Hats
Wild and Really Fun Garden Hats decorated by women in the Mothers' Cooperative. Designs created by youth and local artists. Sold as unique works of art and craft. Winning designs featured at Collective Roots "Mad Hatter Garden Ball" premiering in November of 2008 at the Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto.

Skills Needed

• Sewing and Sewing Patterns, Fashion Design
• Product Design and Development
• MBA graduates, or students seeking projects
• Social Enterprise Development
• Millinery (hat making)
• Herb Growing and Herbal Crafts
• Spanish Language Skills
• Experience leading and developing groups for women and youth
  

(pick one or all of the above!)

Please contact Wolfram Alderson for more information by clicking here.