For too long, Colombia’s good people have been overshadowed by the stories of cartel and terrorist groups. This reputation has prevented others from bringing aid to a small, but desperate population. On our last trip there, we met a woman entrepreneur that has been volunteering her knitting skills to help poor artisans in desolate villages. She asked for our help, and we created project "Promising Growth" or "Asi Crecemos" ("how we grow" in Spanish). Our mission is to help create economic opportunities for these Colombian artisans so that they can support their families. In addition to purchasing and marketing their handmade products in America, we assist them in becoming economically self sufficient through product training, technical assistance and market access. We are working with a single village now (about 60 families) and hope to bring them out of poverty level within 12 months. We started this in January, are self-funded, and manage our business using fair trade guidelines. We hope to get fair trade certified by the end of the year. Every purchase helps to create jobs and gives families a higher quality, and much more fulfilling, standard of living through their craft. Learn more at http://www.PromisingGrowth.com or email us at [edited by DS staff]