About Ayéya

Ayéya means “life in balance,” and was born out of a desire to empower. We endeavor to honor the virtuous circle between doing well as an enterprise & doing good in the world. Our deep connectivity and roots within West African communities allow us to provide meaningful employment while adding value to the local economies by sourcing local ingredients and materials, preserving cultural knowledge, and bringing joy to life through beautiful and ethically crafted goods. We empower women to create high-quality and ecologically responsible goods using traditional West African methods. We honor the generational knowledge of our 5,000+ co-operative members, which enables Ayéya to bring artisan, handmade, and ethically crafted goods to a global community. Our artisans receive beyond Fair Trade wages and access to free healthcare for their families in exchange for their cultural wisdom & expertise. Community is at the heart of Ayéya’s existence. Supporting women with sustainable wages helps to break the cycles of economic injustice and gender inequality and is an important part of enabling our cooperatives and communities to thrive. In addition, 10% of the sales from our co-operatives are given back to our communities to fund projects where our artisans live and work. In keeping with Ayéya’s values, our giving focus will center on two pivotal areas: improving access to water through Building Wells and promoting gender equality through the elimination of FGM.