Giving Tuesday 2020 - How we give back
Besides being a sustainable beauty brand, at Étymologie we also pride ourselves on our ethos, which we carry with us throughout our functioning as a brand and as a company. Not only does our ethical charter include sustainability, transparency, quality without compromise and vegan and cruelty-free, we also see the tremendous value in giving back.
One of the ways in which we choose to give back is by donating 4% of our proceeds from our Miracle Moringa Oil to support a Montreal based grassroots organization called Artistri Sud. We believe in equality for all and are passionate about empowering women through education. Artistri Sud provides targeted entrepreneurship training to women in developing countries. Their programs help women become independent, income-earning members of their families and communities while helping them find their confidence and empowerment.
The women that Artistri Sud work with have struggled to create sustainable incomes through their skills such handicrafts, farming, food transformation, etc; which are all incomes that are essential to supporting their families. Artistri Sud has created an entrepreneurial training program that teaches these women how to expand and grow successful businesses with their pre-existing skills. Here are some of the impacts that Artistri Sud has enabled these women to achieve in their lives:
- 40% of married women that contributed less than half of household income now bring in an equal amount or more
- 92% of women in the program reported an increase in their overall household income after completing the program
- Women double their involvement in their community within one year of completing the program.
- Program graduates’ incomes increased by an average of 67% within one year.
- The women in the program also create new jobs in their community, with an average of 2.3 jobs created post program
- 100% of women reported feeling more confident, included and successful after having completed the program
They have found that women who earn an independent living not only have a powerful and positive impact on their families and local communities, but also contribute to the national and global economy. Women who earn an independent income are more likely to invest in the education and health of their children resulting in reduced infant mortality, maternal mortality and the transmission of STDs. They have also found that these women contribute to an increase in per capita GDP.
Women are truly infinitely capable and deserve continued and consistent support in all communities. For more information about Artistri Sud and their organization and impact, see their website, www.artistrisud.org
Written by Georgina Faber
