1. In recentyears,Israel hasbecome ahub of excitinginnovationsandtechnologicaladvances.While most
start-upsare designedtoimprove the rathermundane frustrations of westernsociety, someactuallygo
a stepfurther, improvingqualityof life forpeople in the developingworld.Barter-Zisone suchstart-up.
Its founder,TamarApper,usestechnologyandstart-upculture togive opportunityandbuildeconomic
growthfor the small village of Ko-Swazi,Zimbabwe.Throughthe internet,Tamarisable toprovide
village artisanswithanexpandedcustomerbase which waspreviouslyinaccessibletothem. Thisway,
the artistsare able to greatlyincrease sales, enablingthemtomake afair,decentlivingand hopefullyin
the longterm,bringthemone stepcloserto overcomingthe povertywhichhasplaguedthe region.
“Barter-Z aimsto provide craftsmenwithasteadylivingsotheydonot have to live infear,wondering
where theirnextmeal iscomingfrom. The artisanscan use our website asaplatform that will boost
salestherebyenabling themtocreate abetterfuture forthemselves while usingtheirownskillsand
talents”
Tamar, a passionate youngolah originallyfromLosAngeles,isago-getterwithstrongmoral inclinations.
She,alongwithmanyotheryoungIsraeli innovators,seektobringstart-upsinthe directionof bringing
aboutsocial change.“As someone whogrew upina stronglyZionistfamily,Ibelieve thatIsrael hasthe
innate historical responsibilityof beinga‘lightuntothe nations’andmoral leaders byusingour
technological innovationforhumanities’benefit”.
Her original ideaoriginallycame aboutwhile she wasbackpackingthroughAfrica.“Asabackpacker,we
didtypical touristactivitiessuchas safari andscuba diving,andsaw differentsmall villagesthatwere
bothquaintand beautiful.However,the citiesinAfricaare full of rampantpoverty.”She witnessed the
devastatingsituation firsthand.“Children were beggingandsellingoutdatedcurrencytounsuspecting
touristsand people were unabletoafforda bunchof bananasat 25 centseach withtheirmeager$100 a
monthsalary. I wishedIcouldhelp,butall I coulddowas make an efforttobuy theirproducts like a
goodtourist.”
That all changedwhenshe crossedthe borderbetweenZambiaandZimbabweandenteredthe small,
charmingvillage of Ko-Swazi.“Zimbabwe wasthe peakof poverty; yet,the local villagers produced the
highestqualitycrafts.Normally,thesecraftsmen wouldtrade touriststheirpiecesforoldforeign
clothing,which isextremelyvaluable forthem.However,Icouldn’thelpbutthinktheywereworthmore
than an occasional decade oldt-shirtif onlypeople wereaware andwere able toactuallypurchase the
products”.
The intricate handcarved woodenbowls,servingutensils,saladtongs,andplatesare certainlyworth
much more than people’soldclothing.Theyfeature livelycarvingswith anexoticAfrican style,
incorporatingdesignssuchaselephants,zebras,andgiraffes all masterfully chiseled intoeachunique
piece.
Barter-Zcustomersare able to customize the color,size,andcarvingsontheirparticularpiece.In
addition,since Tamarseekstokeepthe companytransparent,she remains inconstantcontactwiththe
chief of Ko-Swazi throughthe smartphone she purchasedfor him.This enables himtokeepherupdated
withthe currenteventsof the village,which she publishes onablogso customersare able to remain

2. connected tothe artistsand residentsof Ko-Swazi. Furthermore,inordertomaximize the benefittothe
villagers,she donatesfivepercentof all profitstobuildapreschool.Thisway,the childrencanreceive
an educationatan earlierage while mothersare able toworkif theywishto.
Basedon size andcustomizations,Barter-Zproductssellbetween (insertprice range here). Normally,
the artisansare not able tosell theirproductsat suchprices,choosing totrade eitherat a lowerprice or
for clothinginstead. Sometimes,theyare able tosell withinthisprice range,butitisdependent onthe
rare occasionof a touriststumblingupontheirwork bychance.The inconsistencyof thisoccurrence kills
theirchancesof beingable to provide a stable livingfortheirfamilies.However,everytime someone
buysa product fromBarter-Z,it buysa familydinnerforthe nextfew days,whichmakesahuge impact
on boththe emotional andfinancial securityof the artistandhisor herfamily.
While Tamaris startingwiththe village of Ko-Swazi,herlongtermgoalsare far more ambitious.“Inthe
future,Ihope to see ushavinga workingmodel whichcanbe incorporatedinothervillageswithsimilar
needsandtalents”. While currentlythisstart-upisinitsbeginningstages,if herlongtermgoalsare
recognized,the possibilitiesmaybe endless.Barter-Zissimplyone small initiativecontributingtothe
growthand successof one small partof the world whichiscurrentlyoverwhelmed withwidespread
hungerand economicdevastation.Suchastart-uphas potential toserve asinspiration,demonstrating
howone can use the innovative start-upculture forimportantcausesand bringabouta betterfuture for
all of man-kind.