by Oi Yen Lam, Chief Blogger
As part of our series on market-based solutions for community development, we speak with Siiri Morley, Partner at Prosperity Candle L3C. Prosperity Candle’s mission is to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit in women in places of conflict, by providing them with the resources to build successful candle-making businesses. The for profit social venture designs, imports, markets and sells the women’s candles in North America and shares profits with the women entrepreneurs.
Spurred by her belief in creating change through women’s empowerment, Siiri’s passion has brought her to Afghanistan, Croatia, Ecuador, Kenya and Lesotho where she has worked on poverty reduction and sustainable development projects. We are delighted to have her share her story and hopes in transforming the lives of women worldwide.
Your experiences have ranged from working with the Peace Corps in Lesotho to sustainable development. How did this journey eventually lead to Prosperity Candle?
My parents were Peace Corps volunteers and value cross-cultural learning, so they always encouraged me to study and travel abroad. I was often happiest when visiting local marketplaces, where I was drawn to the sights, colors and textures of handmade products crafted and sold by women.
As I grew older, I realized that the beautiful handicrafts were more than just a fun shopping experience. They represented the craftswomen’s cultural identity, economic independence and physical survival.
After college, I joined the Peace Corps in Lesotho to learn the ins-and-outs of working with women’s businesses. I spent three years working closely with a women’s weaving business. I participated in all aspects of their business operations including product development, computer skills training and marketing. I was, however, frustrated that our initiatives did not translate into long term change and help our weavers move beyond a subsistence wage.
I eventually joined the international development field to understand how change can be achieved on a larger scale. During this period, I worked on projects in Kenya, Namibia, Croatia, Afghanistan and throughout Latin America, and realized that business development, if implemented correctly, can lead to far-reaching social impact. This led me to pursue an MBA with the Heller School at Brandeis University -- a great program that matched my interest in combining solid business strategies with social justice.
I started out with Prosperity Candle as an MBA intern and joined the team as a partner in January 2010. I love the vision and scale of Prosperity Candle. We train women entrepreneurs in some of the most unstable regions in the world to create independent businesses. As they scale their efforts, we help them earn a “prosperity wage” and employ other women to create a tremendous ripple effect in their communities. All of this work is powered by the global sales of their high quality candles.
How did Prosperity Candle decide to work in distressed areas such as Iraq, Rwanda and Haiti?
We know that women are disproportionately affected by conflicts and natural disasters, and that this is an area where we can have the most impact. Despite the logistical challenges in these areas, commerce happens everywhere and products move across borders, even under difficult conditions.
Our model is designed to function in distressed areas where the private sector is unable to operate. Key to our efforts is our partnership with reliable and well-established local nonprofit partners. For instance, we are partnering with Women for Women International, an NGO that has been operating in Baghdad since 2003. We have recently completed a successful pilot program in Iraq, where our entrepreneurs include widows affected by the lack of a local support system
What defines success for Prosperity Candle?
Success for us is when our entrepreneurs are able to scale their businesses and earn more than a minimum wage. Our pilot program in Iraq has demonstrated that women without prior experience in candle making can create high quality candles in their kitchens using our customized kits and training program. 69% of the women who made and exported candles earned above the minimum wage in Iraq and 17% earned above the average wage. Our consumers have responded well to our mission, found our story compelling and perceive the candles as high quality meaningful gifts. Most importantly, we have proven that our model offers a unique opportunity to earn well above a living wage.
What new initiatives from Prosperity Candle can we look forward to?
We are planning to work with refugees in Springfield, Massachusetts, and will launch our holiday collection featuring glass jar candles, jewel-toned votives and candle accessories made by Haitian artisans. Our candles include the name of the entrepreneur so that customers can personally send her a note online with feedback. It’s is a beautiful way for everyone to give back and connect with the women.
This November, we will be part of a tour across Boston, New York and Washington, DC, to raise awareness about women’s issues in Iraq in conjunction with Women’s Voices Now, Manal Omar – the original Country Director of Women for Women International’s Iraq program and author of “Barefoot in Baghdad”, and Christina Asquith, author of “Sisters in War.” Last but not least, we are working to share our story by building a grassroots support base and engaging potential investors through our Prosperity Circles.
What advice do you have for aspiring social entrepreneurs?
I believe that everyone should follow their hearts and do what they do best in the world. Don’t wait until everything is “ready” to take this step because if you do you’ll never begin. While the risks and toll of being a social entrepreneur can be high, the payoff is incomparable. It’s also important to have a great team behind your efforts. The Prosperity Candle team is fun, and truly inspiring. An entrepreneurial team becomes like family, so make sure you find the right people to work with!
A good book that inspires is…
Some books focused on women’s empowerment in distressed parts of the world that resonate are “Sisters in War” by Christina Asquith and “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I also really enjoyed learning about the evolution of the Acumen Fund in “The Blue Sweater” by Jacqueline Novogratz. “Barefoot in Baghdad” by Manal Omar is next on my list!
To learn more about Prosperity Candle, please visit http://prosperitycandle.com