People sometimes ask what buying an animal does for the women who make it. It is a fair question. This post gives the answer we can stand behind. Then it lists the answers we cannot give yet.
The link in one line
An order means crochet work to do. That work is income for the women Mikono supports, and income supports their families. Mikono was founded in 2019 and today supports 25+ women this way.
Much of what we sell goes to shops, lodges and organisations. An order from a mall shelf or a lodge gift shop becomes work in the workroom. A single order from a home does the same.
We say income, not salary or wage, on purpose. We have not published how the women are paid, so we use the widest plain word.
Pay and working conditions matter to buyers, and they matter to us. We have not published details, so we make no claims about them. If you need to know more before you order, ask.
What we will not say
Some impact claims online sound large and cannot be checked. We do not want to add to them. So you will not find these on our pages:
- A figure for what each woman earns.
- A promise about what the money pays for.
- A sentence that says we have changed a life.
- A claim that we pay more than anyone else.
When we can publish a figure and stand behind it, we will. Until then, the quiet version is the true one.
Why we avoid the language of rescue
The women who make our animals are makers, not a cause. They bring skill to the table. We try to describe the work as work: a hook, yarn, a pattern, a finished animal. That is a respectful way to talk about anyone's job.
Pity makes a person smaller. We would rather you see a maker who is good at her work. That is the picture we try to give in our photos: hands, hooks and finished animals.
What you can do
- Order through the shop or the wholesale page, so the work reaches the workroom.
- Ask us about the makers. We will answer with what a maker has agreed to share.
- Tell us if any wording on our pages sounds like pity. We will fix it.
You can also help without buying. Share the makers page with a friend. Tell a shop owner you know. Word of mouth brings orders too.
The impact page holds the short version of all this. The makers page shows the women at work. Start there.
A purchase is a modest thing. It becomes work for somebody. That is all we claim for it.
