ABOUT
Five Tribes Fair Trade was co-founded by Amy Stroup and Lorena Bowers and is in partnership with Joy to the World Foundation Thailand.
For 20 years, Joy to the World Foundation (JTTWF) Thailand has been working to provide care, programs, housing, and resources for marginalized people groups in Northern Thailand. JTTWF Thailand has focused on caring for young girls that are orphaned or at risk of going into prostitution through a home called Breanna’s House of Joy.
Breanna’s House of Joy places a strong emphasis on building deeply into young girls’ lives and equipping them spiritually, physically, and emotionally to be Christ’s light in their own communities. High School graduates from Breanna’s House of Joy are encouraged to apply to Northern Thailand’s Universities and participate in the Daniel 1 Leadership Academy, where students graduate debt-free and are encouraged to build strong Christian character that value God, country, and their own tribal heritage.
With a solid set of programs and a strong track record of results, JTTWF Thailand is launching this new initiative that is focused on empowering the families from which these girls come to create their own sustainable enterprises.
Five Tribes Fair Trade partners with Hill Tribe Women to train, equip and encourage them to use their skills in weaving and hand stitched artistry so that they can engage in social enterprises that bring hope and prosperity to the village.
A note from Amy
I have been working with Joy to the World Foundation Thailand since its inception. Joy to the World Foundation Thailand was born out of my sister's tragic death in 1998. I have been passionate about helping my parents, Bill and Mary Lee Moritz, grow this organization for the last 20 years. In 2003, I spent a summer living in Chiang Mai when Breanna's House of Joy first opened its doors. In 2004, shortly after getting married, my husband and I lived in Chiang Mai serving as field Directors for a year. Over the years, I have never lost my passion for these people. Since early 2018, I have been working as a child sponsorship coordinator for Breanna's House of Joy. Through this process, Five Tribes Fair Trade was born.
As I was pouring through these girls' biographies and family histories, I couldn't stop thinking about their desperation. As a mother of three, my heart ached to see these mothers so desperate and out of control. Many of them were at rock bottom; so low that they were willing to sacrifice their daughters to the sex industry in order to survive. I don't know what it's like to be that desperate, but I know it must be utterly hopeless to cause this kind of action.
I knew that these mothers were capable of more. I knew that they could use their skills and talents to bring hope and prosperity to their families, so I began talking with my dear friend Lorena Bowers about marketing their products here in the US. She had been growing a successful business selling her hand woven tapestries and I knew her talents and skills would be invaluable to this project.
Five Tribes Fair Trade is so much more than a business. It is a movement to empower people groups that have been discriminated against for far too long. As Nelson Mandela once said,
"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice."
- Nelson Mandela
Through your partnership, we are creating new pathways that will give these people groups the economic stability that they need to avoid the underground economy that is rampant with sex and drug trafficking. You can be confident that every purchase you make is working to fight against systemic poverty and build a new future.
Joy to the World Thailand is a registered 501(c)3 and is accepting donations on behalf of Five Tribes Fair Trade. We welcome your support as we bring this project to life!
