Raven and Lily

Creating something good from something terrible. This is the challenge that many social innovation projects have to face. And it is the final goal of Raven and Lily, a social enterprise which sells jewelry made from bullet casings.

Sadly, in war thorn Ethiopia it is not difficult to find artillery shells from former war conflicts. Local farmers often find bullet casings while working on their fields and they sell them to the villagers who are skilled in the traditional techniques of bead making. Raven and Lily employs HIV positive women to create bracelets, necklaces and earrings with this materials. The jewelry is then shipped to Austin, Texas, where it is sold online and to retailers.

The company now employs 108 artisans  and has a special focus on HIV-positive women. As a matter of fact, the female condition in this country is extremely difficult and things get even worse when women get sick, as they are often ostracized from their communities. While the artisans are paid fair trade wages and 10 percent of all sales are designated to supporting each artisan community, every year the company’s profits are re-invested in the business. As a matter of fact, in addition to empowering women by offering them a job opportunity, Raven and Lily has developed several projects to improve the quality of women’s life in this area. The company has organized community health seminars, English classes and micro-enterprise training programs for their employees and it has also activated private school scholarships for their children.

Started by two American women, Kirsten Dickerson and Sophia Hirokawa Lin, the company is growing fast. It also works in India where women artisans create journals, soaps and scarves and it is now launching a new product line in Cambodia.