What is the return policy?
We welcome products returned within 60 days of your purchase date, especially those with defects or major blemishes. Please note: All of Beza Threads’ items are handcrafted by artisans in Ethiopia. As such, small irregularities that don’t compromise the beauty and function of a product are normal! No two are alike, and each reflects the former slave who made it.
To initiate a return, email returns@bezathreads.org and include your name and order number.
What are the shipping terms?
If the product you ordered is in stock, then the product will be shipped within 7-10 days with USPS Priority Express. Around the holidays we make every attempt to have your product delivered in time for that special day.
If the product you ordered is noted as “Special Order” it is being specially made for you. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks to process, create and ship your product. We will send you a follow-up email when your order has been shipped.
My product has a small irregularity, is that normal?
All of Beza Threads’ items are handcrafted by artisans in Ethiopia. As such, any small imperfections that don’t compromise the beauty and function of a product are normal! No two are alike, and each reflects the former slave who made it.
How are the scarves made?
While the product is simple, the creation of just one scarf takes an incredible eye for detail, brilliant creativity and expert craftsmanship. Using a metal weaving loom, each scarf takes 7-8 hours to create.
What are the scarves made of?
Lots of love. Also a cotton and polyester blend. Any raised decorations on scarves are made from silk.
How do I care for my scarf?
Wash your scarf on a delicate or hand wash cycle, lay it out to air dry, and then fluff it in the dryer. Simple as that.
If it’s wrinkly, throw your scarf in a dryer for several minutes on low, either by itself or with other light pieces of clothing. Remove it immediately once the cycle completes, wrap it around your neck (so warm!) and enjoy.
How are the leather goods made?
Our leather goods are handcrafted by young women rescued from forced prostitution. Not only does our leather collection allow you to continue giving freedom—it continues giving enslaved youth opportunities for hope and a sustainable future.
Led by an Ethiopian teacher, the technical leather school is a one-year training program. Freed women learn to cut, sew, glue and skive leather. As they continue diversifying and advancing their leather-working skills, they begin creating our leather clutches, totes and messenger bags. While clutches take approximately one hour to create, messenger bags and totes take up to 10 hours to cut and sew together.
Are the leather products made from real leather?
Why, yes. All of our leather products are handcrafted using genuine Ethiopian leather.
How do I care for my leather product?
Here are our best tips:
Keep your bag out of the sun to prevent wrinkling.
When you’re not using it, store your bag in a cool, dry place
Use a leather dressing, cream or oil if damage does occur.
Brush the leather with a damp cloth weekly to avoid serious damage. Do not use soaps or cleansers, as they can remove the leather’s natural oils. After cleaning, dry your bag at room temperature to avoid cracking and wrinkling.
Who runs Beza Threads?
Beza Threads is a small but mighty team! We have 1 person directing sales, marketing, and wholesale partnerships. We have additional fuel from amazing volunteers! Every person on our Board of Directors and administration team has a job outside of Beza Threads. We all do this out of the basements and living rooms of our homes, to support artisans freed from slavery and give freedom to others in Ethiopia.
How are artisans supported?
Every purchase is used to support, train, and free survivors of slavery.
A critical part of Beza Threads’ approach to freedom is the distribution of funds received from product sales. We seek to distribute funds in a way that addresses the issue of slavery in a holistic and sustainable approach. The breakout below shows the current funding distribution for each good sold.
Administration
A portion of each purchase supports the work of the Beza staff team, ensuring we can continue offering quality products and empowering our Ethiopian partners.
Product
The materials, labor and shipping costs necessary to deliver a product to your doorstep constitute 30 to 40% of each price tag. We pay beneficiaries fair wages for their craftsmanship, supporting their business and financial futures far after the program’s completion.
Rescue & Prevention
We dedicate portion of our product cost funds the rescue, rehabilitative and preventative programming of our on-the-ground partners.
What does “Beza” mean?
Beza (pronounced Bayza) means "Redemption" in the Ethiopian language of Amharic.
How does slavery happen?
In Ethiopia, child slavery takes on different forms but often starts the same way: A promise is made, then broken.
Men travel from the city to the countryside, where they prey on families who want the best for their children but question their own means to provide it.
The men, called “recruiters,” offer to escort children to the city in exchange for a fee. In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the families are promised their children will find better schooling and better jobs – a better opportunity.
What happens is much different: The boys and girls are transported to the city and sold to businesses involved in brothels, factories and forced labor. Every day, a blunt message is relayed: Your life is worth only the profit it yields.
The children, lost in a city of 3 million, don’t speak its dialect and don’t know their way home. They see the more than 60,000 homeless youths who wander Addis Ababa without food and shelter. Many draw the same conclusion: It’s better to live in slavery than die on the streets.
JOIN US. Become part of the movement that will transform and redeem the lives of those enslaved. Take a step toward providing sustainable and long-lasting freedom.