Who Are We? Our Philosophy, Our history.
Tribes and Nations is a family business run by us, Grant and Mignonne Murray.
We, with our two boys, lived in Tanzania for 4.5 years. We went there with CMS wanting to be involved with the people through youth work with the Anglican Church. Our time there bought us face to face with the issues of poverty i.e. education, health issues, women’s rights and income generation. Since returning in 2003 we have had a desire to make a connection with the poor through trade, thus Tribes and Nations was born.
Our Philosophy
Tribes and Nations aims to provide a market bridge between poor communities and the West. We focus on fair trade, meaning that, the one who does the work receives a fair wage or profit. We desire to work mostly with projects set up as income generating schemes for people in poverty. We are especially concerned for those who have felt poverty more acutely because of social stigma (eg. AIDS sufferers) or bias against minority religious groups.
What does Tribes and Nations offer the customer?
- Quality handmade products.
- Conscience clear shopping
- A direct involvement with the poor
- A belief that your purchase choice can make a difference
- Fashionable and classic, western styles mixed with the exotic/ethnic.
- Personal (jewellery, decor) to functional (bedding, clothing) wares
- Individual care for all buyers (not a call centre).
The History of Tribes and Nations
Grant (born in Sydney) and Mignonne, (born in Sri Lanka), moved to Tanzania, East Africa in 1997.
“Our time in Tanzania was the most rewarding, yet steepest learning curve of our lives. We lived in Musoma, on the edge of Lake Victoria, for five years. Our two sons were 8 and 9 when we returned to Australia,” said Mignonne.
Grant said, “Our experiences were rich, mixed with great joy but also deep sadness. We worked for the Anglican Church in youth and women’s work, mainly at village level among the poor. We saw the harshness and injustice of poverty.”
As we view these ‘unseen people’ via the media, remember they too watch television in small tea shops and see how the global community lives. The gap is real and wide. When hope, vision and desire are quashed, it may appear as apathy and laziness – views of the poor that truly destroy their dignity.
Catching the vision
Mignonne saw possibilities for change in the Tanzanian village she visited twice weekly: “I got the mothers’ group a sewing machine, material and thread. They taught themselves to sew by unpicking and examining a garment! Thus began a micro industry – their enthusiasm was fantastic and vision boundless.”
“When we gave one man flower and vegetable seeds, he gathered old milk containers, planted and grew them. Soon he had a small nursery, and was known as the village expert! He had never seen results from his own initiative before this!” explained Grant.
“This micro industry has caught our imagination!”
After much hard thought and prayer, Tribes and Nations was born. Based on fair trade principles, we seek to be a market bridge between income generating projects and the global community.
We are delighted to see co-operation between the producers we source from and the ‘west’ in terms of design, style and colours. We have been humbled by the quality of their products.
We desire the global community to know ‘the poor’ don’t always want a handout. The vast majority want to stand equally with us, shoulder to shoulder, earning and income that allows them to move forward.
