"My income is very important to my whole family, as I am the only wage earner," says Njah Primus Songekwe. "I pay school fees for my sister and niece, and I am even able to save money." The small African village of Bamessing in northwest Cameroon is home to 26-year-old Njah, who learned to make pottery from his mother. She was one of the first potters to join Prescraft when it was founded over 40 years ago.

Since its beginning, Prescraft has enabled hundreds of disadvantaged handicraft producers to sell their products within the Fair Trade market and become self-reliant. As a project of the Presbyterian Church, Prescrafts' goals are to provide employment for rural artisans, stem migration from the rural areas to the cities, preserve traditional craft skills and cultural heritage, and to instill self-confidence in artisans.

Benefits Prescraft provides include:

• An apprenticeship program for disadvantaged youth to learn from skilled artisans
• Access to a fund to cover the cost of education, healthcare, and housing
• Advances to purchase raw materials for their handcrafts

Prescraft enables rural African handicraft producers to become self-reliant through sales of their products. Your purchase provides livelihood for these artisans, building their confidence and self-worth by making them relevant to national and international economic development.

At present over 500 men and women are employed by Prescraft; 85% work from their homes. Some artisans combine handicraft production at home with farming or trading. They use the money raised from craft sales to pay for clothing, health care and housing, as well as their children’s education. 

Cameroon is a Central African country located on the Gulf of Guinea. Through its history of British and French colonialism, most people speak English or French, though more than 100 other dialects are spoken as well. It has one of the stronger economies in sub-Saharan Africa, but its people continue to face problems like corruption, unequal wealth distribution, and a lack of adequate infrastructure. Traditional arts and crafts are practiced throughout the country; the high-quality clay of the Western Highlands is particularly well suited to pottery.

"My income is very important to my whole family, as I am the only wage earner," says Njah Primus Songekwe. "I pay school fees for my sister and niece, and I am even able to save money." The small African village of Bamessing in northwest Cameroon is home to 26-year-old Njah, who learned to make pottery from his mother. She was one of the first potters to join Prescraft when it was founded over 40 years ago.

Since its beginning, Prescraft has enabled hundreds of disadvantaged handicraft producers to sell their products within the Fair Trade market and become self-reliant. As a project of the Presbyterian Church, Prescrafts' goals are to provide employment for rural artisans, stem migration from the rural areas to the cities, preserve traditional craft skills and cultural heritage, and to instill self-confidence in artisans.

Benefits Prescraft provides include:

• An apprenticeship program for disadvantaged youth to learn from skilled artisans
• Access to a fund to cover the cost of education, healthcare, and housing
• Advances to purchase raw materials for their handcrafts

Prescraft enables rural African handicraft producers to become self-reliant through sales of their products. Your purchase provides livelihood for these artisans, building their confidence and self-worth by making them relevant to national and international economic development.

At present over 500 men and women are employed by Prescraft; 85% work from their homes. Some artisans combine handicraft production at home with farming or trading. They use the money raised from craft sales to pay for clothing, health care and housing, as well as their children’s education. 

Cameroon is a Central African country located on the Gulf of Guinea. Through its history of British and French colonialism, most people speak English or French, though more than 100 other dialects are spoken as well. It has one of the stronger economies in sub-Saharan Africa, but its people continue to face problems like corruption, unequal wealth distribution, and a lack of adequate infrastructure. Traditional arts and crafts are practiced throughout the country; the high-quality clay of the Western Highlands is particularly well suited to pottery.