During one of our supplier-hunting trips, we were able to speak to a woodworker in a small town in La Union and he told us that he had been working for an "amo" all his life and never got to grow his own woodworking venture because he didn't have the means or support. He said with hopeful eyes, that maybe through our partnership, he could also grow with us.
In another encounter, a young entrepreneur told us that he found a couple of talented weavers in a far flung area of the province -- the very last few who could weave a certain type of buslo (a basket for fish), but the two were not weaving anymore and just did part-time construction jobs because weaving those old traditional items didn't make money. They also didn't think that teaching their kids the craft would be of any use to the family.
It is these stories that motivate Likha+Mundo to pursue its mission. Likha+Mundo is on a quest of finding talented artisans from different corners of the country, and helping them grow their small family businesses and keep their creative traditions alive. Currently, we are working with 6 artisans and 1 artist from different provinces in Luzon (Laguna, La Union, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Baguio and Metro Manila) but we are aiming to tap more from various crafting fields and regions.
While working with our artisans, we also teach them how they can brand and market their businesses, as well as educate them on legal-financial aspects of running small enterprises.