Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is social responsibility?
A: The principle that companies should contribute to the welfare of society and not be solely devoted to maximizing profits. Socially responsible companies can act in a number of ways to benefit society. For example, companies can give money to the arts, fund academic scholarships, support community-building initiatives, and so on. They can also commit to not pollute or to reduce the pollution they put out. (Dictionary.com).

 

Q: What is fair trade?
A: Fair trade is an alternative way of doing business - one that builds equitable, long term partnerships between consumers in North America and producers in developing regions. Fair Trade businesses commit to paying a fair wage in the local context, providing equal opportunities for all people, engaging in environmentally sustainable practices, and other ethical criteria. (Fair Trade Federation & Fair Trade Resource Network). Here are the common Fair Trade Certification symbols found on various products:

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Q: What does Ayindisa mean?
A: Ayindisa (Eye-in-DEE-suh) means, “God's hand is in the work that you do, He is watching over you, looking over you, guiding your affairs.” It comes from the Frafra language of the Gurunsi people of northern Ghana’s upper East region. The correct spelling is actually ayinebisa or ayinedisa. The founder chose to remove the silent “e” from the spelling because Westerners had a hard time pronouncing it. However, the meaning is still the same and it is the tribal name bestowed upon the founder by Artisans from Northern Ghana. It is, considered, a great and powerful name. We think so too and we are proud to have Ayindisa as the name that represents our company and its mission.

 

Q: When was Ayindisa founded?
A: Ayindisa started in august 2006 but Ayindisa, LLC on January 19, 2007.

 

Q: What is the meaning of Ayindisa's logo?
A: Ayindisa's logo is a common Adinkra symbol found in Ghana, West Africa and is called Gye Nyame, (Except God). Symbol of the omnipotence and immortality of God. Gye Nyame normally appears without a circle around it.

 

Q: Do you buy directly from producers, through wholesalers, or both?
A: We buy directly from producers and wholesalers.

 

Q: What is a producer?
A: A producer is someone who creates economic value or produces goods and services. (Dictionary.com).

 

Q: If you are buying directly from producers, how do you determine the fair price for the pieces?
A: We determine fair prices that are based on the Fair Trade Federations principles. We let the producers determine the value of the goods within their local economic context. This includes costs for materials, labor and the time it takes to create the product. We have open and honest discussions with the producers that allow them to manage this. We want to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for our producers and we establish long term trading relationships built upon fairness, openness, honesty and trust in order to create a sustainable and just income. In addition, an upfront deposit of 50% is paid within 24 hours to the producers every time an order is placed, and the balance upon completion.

 

Q: Where do all of your products come from?
A: Our products come from many different countries in Africa, Asia, South America, Central America, the Caribbean and a small percentage from North America. About 50% of our products we import from Ghana, West Africa and the other 50% come from our certified fair Trade suppliers in these countries.

 

Q: Who does all the buying and traveling to these countries?
A: The Ayindisa founder does all of the buying for the company and only travels to Ghana, West Africa every year to visit and work with the producers we have relationships with. Though the founder has traveled to other parts of the world before and would love to travel to all of the countries we source products from it is simply unrealistic to do so. Instead we work with our certified partners who supply us and already have established relationships with various producers in these other countries that we buy from.

 

Q: Why do you only help people in other countries and not people in the USA?
A: We do help people in the United States of America. Many people assume Ayindisa only helps people from economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities outside of America. This is not the case. Our mission statement specifically says ...around the globe. This includes America. Ayindisa has a charitable giving program that we use to make regular financial and in kind gift contributions to local, regional or national non-profit organizations and educational institutions helping a variety of people and causes. We also volunteer our time each year to speak or conduct educational workshops sharing our business model and commitments to social justice and the environment with others. Finally we allow other people and organizations to use our retail store for awareness raising, art or other events and workshops that the community can attend for free.