Situated away from the main hub of the capital and tourist areas is the Brikama Craft Market, almost a town of itself with corrugate rooftops held up by rough sticks. Inside this subvillage of almost 80 shack-like stalls you'll find over 100 wood carvers, finishers, instrument makers and artists.

Each stall is independently owned, but the carvers often rely on each other like a cooperative to help build inventory, share skills, watch each other's shops when someone's sick, and more.

In addition to the 80 stalls, there are two yards where strictly carvers spend their days unloading, sawing, and carving abstract and realistic figures into mahogany, teak, mango and ebony wood.

Although highly talented, these carvers and finishers struggle to feed their families for a number of reasons, including lack of market opportunities and people to buy their wares, high competition and little help with product development and quality control, and stresses of living in poverty. In an entire year's time, most carvers will make less than $500 in profit. From May to October (over the rainy season), many carvers may go weeks without selling a single carving, returning home after 10 hour days with nothing in their hands. These months, also known as the "hungry season" are a time when any tourists or buyers know that they can take advantage of desperation to bargain for lower prices, and workers will often take a price just above or even below their cost. This desperation has also led to some of the carvers purchasing cheap, black market wood that is either stolen or illegally cut without regard for the enviroment or Forestry Department laws.

Worldgoods is not only working with only carvers using licensed wood, we are placing year-round orders and using the Fair Wage Calculator to ensure carvers and finishers alike are earning a wage that is well above the poverty line and minimum wage within Gambia and compared to International Standards. We are committed to sustainable development that looks at both immediate poverty relief and also considers long-term environmental and economic impact within Brikama, Gambia and Senegal as a whole.

Worldgoods also donates medical and first-aid supplies to stock the market, as well as basic usage training for the carvers, so that they can properly treat wounds and replace makeshift first aid methods such as placing sawdust in open cuts. We are also providing free business services such as product development advice, new ideas, advance payment, and marketing materials.

The Carvers in Brikama also work very hard to preserve African traditions and cultural identity, and we strive to offer products with symbolic meanings and an opportunity for positive exposure and education about the diverse cultures of Western Africa.

Support the carvers of Brikama and the effort to reduce illegal and black market wood in The Gambia and Senegal by buying their products in our store.