Mission

Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.

Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. This income helps pay for food, education, health care and housing.

The inspiration for our name—Ten Thousand Villages—came from a Mahatma Gandhi quote: "...India is not to be found in its few cities but in the 700,000 villages...we have hardly ever paused to inquire if these folks get sufficient to eat and clothe themselves with." To us, each village in the world represents a unique, distinctive people...offering extraordinary products born of their rich cultures and traditions.

We are located across from Massanutten Regional Library.