Krochet Kids International Backgrounder

1630 Superior Ave., Costa Mesa, California 92627, (949) 791-2560

www.krochetkids.org

Jacque Larson, Public Relations Coordinator, jacque@krochetkids.org

Travis Hartanov, co-founder, CFO/COO and Affiliate Marketing Manager travis@krochetkids.org
http://www.krochetkids.org/contact/
info@krochetkids.org
customercare@krochetkids.org
donate@krochetkids.org
Follow us @krochetkids
#knowwhomadeit

Our Purpose
Krochet Kids International (KKintl.) is a nonprofit organization devoted to empowering people to rise above
poverty. We are currently located in Gulu, Uganda and Lima, Peru to work with women who live in poverty so
that these women may rise above poverty to transform their families, communities, and the developing world.
We provide a job of crocheting and creating products to sell in order to meet the present needs of their
families, and education to develop beyond the need for outside aid, and mentorship to help each woman
structure a unique and sustainable career path for the future. Our goal is to empower people to rise above
poverty, and to encourage a generation in their ability to change and make a difference in this world. Each
product we make is hand-signed by the person who made it. Customers are able to learn more about the
woman who made their product and the direct impact they are having on her and her family. Customers can
even send a thank you note to the woman who made their product.

KKintl. is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to empower others. Our nonprofit status makes it
possible for us to focus our resources and financial investment into our program activities and initiatives. In this
way we can attain empowerment for others.
As a nonprofit, our global staff, donors and customers are able to visualize the work we are all doing to
empower others.

Mission statement
Our mission at KKintl. is to empower people to rise above poverty. Our vision is to create sustainable economic
development programs that support holistic growth of individuals and communities living in poverty. As well as,
to inspire the knowledge of a generation about their ability to bring change to a world that is in need. At KKintl.
we value:
People: We desire holistic freedom for our people to grow and enrich their lives physically, emotionally,
and spiritually.
Our Product: We believe in quality, handmade products that bring comfort and style, while serving as a
vehicle for social change.
Love: We believe actions rooted in love bring lasting and powerful change. Our model for love is that of
Jesus.

Our Story
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Jacque Larson

Three young men, Kohl Crecelius, Stewart Ramsey and Travis Hartanov, who were major winter sports
enthusiasts, began to crochet as a way to create their own unique headwear for going up on the mountain.
They became rather good at crocheting and their local newspaper in Spokane, Washington dubbed them the
Krochet Kids. Many people from their community began making custom orders and the three began selling
their work to whomever would buy it.

As they went off to college, their hobby took a back seat to their studies and work. The three spent their
summers volunteering in developing nations, hoping to gain an understanding of the global community that we
all live in. The three men had a new desire to reach out and love and to make a lasting difference. The three
were encouraged by friends and family to teach people in developing countries how to crochet as a means of
breaking the cycle of poverty.

One of the three, Stewart Ramsey, spent a summer in Uganda where the people had been living in government
camps, relying solely on the government for all of their needs. The people were tired of this dependency. These
people wanted to work and provide for their own families. From that point on the three decided to dream big.

Realizing that incredible products could be made with a hook and yarn and that being paid a fair wage to do so
would allow these people to provide for their families and plan for the future for the first time, the three, along
with some other close friends, applied to become a nonprofit in 2007 and began crocheting to sell hats and
share their vision with the world. The following summer was spent in Northern Uganda teaching women the art
of crocheting and watching the dream become a reality.

In January 2008, Krochet Kids intl. earned their nonprofit status. Since then they have continued to grow and
evolve. Today, over 150 people in Uganda and Peru are working, receiving education, and being mentored
toward a brighter future in creating gifts that give back. Around the globe, the products created have been well
received and have been able to create a cycle of employment and
empowerment. We hope to continue to grow and spread throughout the
globe to empower other people living in poverty.

In 2014 we graduated 40 women from the program, who have been

integrated into locally sustainable career and businesses. These businesses
are helping create jobs for their communities and opening doors for more
people to experience the empowerment of rising above poverty. In 2014
Uganda had 145 participants, 827 participant household members being
supported, and 527 students being supported, and Peru had 50 participants,
194 participant household members being supported, and 67 students being
supported.

The Impact
Personal income grows to be 10 times larger than pre-KKintl. levels. More income means a greater capacity to
invest in the long-term wellbeing of her family. Savings levels increase by 25 times. Savings provide a safety net
during hard times, a way to handle unforeseen expenses and the seed capital to start a business. Families are
five times more likely to have access to healthcare when sick. Women are 40 percent less likely to be physically
abused. Women are 25 percent more likely to participate in major family decisions. Children are eight times
more likely to attend high school if their mother participates in our program. In places where higher education
is rare, children who finish high school have significantly more opportunities than those who dont.

Our website offers customers an opportunity to see the impact their purchase is making on the woman who
made it. Meet the ladies: http://www.krochetkids.org/what-we-do/meet-the-ladies/

Funding Sources
Our funding is primarily generated through the sale of our products. 80 percent of the total operating revenue
needed to sustain our work annually is accounted for in product sales. Because of this, 100 percent of public

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Jacque Larson

donations directly fund program initiatives: the provision of fair-wage jobs, holistic education and one-on-one
mentorship. Our products can be found in stores nationwide:

Distributors Supporters Partnerships

Nordstrom Bing Visual Supply Co.
Volcom Kickstarter (VSCO)
Urban Outfitters
Zumiez
Whole Foods
Amazon.com
Boutiques around the nation

The Common Stitch Initiative Donate Monthly

Monthly financial partners can sponsor women in our program to receive top-level training from our local staff
and partners. 100 percent of donations go directly to our programs. Donors can receive exclusive product
offerings, insightful monthly updates and play a vital role in our work to empower people to rise above poverty.

Operations
Gulu, Uganda: Northern Uganda has suffered a large amount of hostility and violence in a 20+ year war between
the Ugandan military and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) beginning in 1986. The Ugandan government
mandated mass relocations to Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in attempt to reduce LRA attacks on
villagers in rural areas. After the relocation of over 1 million people, the path toward recovery has been a long
and exhausting one. Multiple governmental and non-governmental organizations have been working to assist
people in the process of returning to their homes and restoring their lives after the trauma caused by war.
KKintl. currently has employed just over 150 women who we have committed to for a minimum of three years
so that we may make sure they are provided the highest quality of training and mentorship through personal
budgeting, savings, loaning and business management topics. Our goal is to help the women of Northern
Uganda build up financial assets and knowledge so they may enter into the local economy and end their
dependence on humanitarian aid.

Lima, Peru: Our program, located just outside the capital city Lima, is currently empowering 38 women and their
families to rise above poverty. In this program we start by working with organizations and churched to identify
potential beneficiaries, then assess the needs of each individual to create a baseline assessment. We then
provide a job of creating apparel and accessories at Krochet Kids Peru. Along with the steady income of the job,
we provide the individuals with education and a one-on-one local mentorship so that these individuals are
moving toward independence, free from poverty. In early 2013 we launched the Cut & Sew Initiative to provide
further opportunities for involvement from the community and supporters in the area in which we work. This
sewing floor at Krochet Kids Peru has enabled us to employ more people and create all new product categories.

Leadership

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Co-founders: Kohl Crecelius (CEO), Stewart Ramsey (Art & Retail

Director) and Travis Hartanov (CFO/COO)
These three high school friends, dubbed the Krochet Kids by
their local newspaper in Spokane, WA, co-founded Krochet Kids
intl. after recognizing a desire to rise above poverty among people
in developing countries. Crecelius, Ramsey and Tartanov, along
with their team of close friends are on a mission to change what it
means to do business and do it well. Crecelius, Ramsey and
Tartanov remain steadily involved in the programs of the
organization.

Interns are a fundamental element to what we do, working in roles ranging from social media and photography
to inventory management and events. Internship opportunities offer hands-on experience and a behind-the-
scenes look at nonprofit/social enterprise work on every level. Our Interns update social media sites, the blog
and supervise our production on a daily basis. Customers can follow the interns on the Intern blog:
http://krochetkidsinterns.tumblr.com

Volunteers help us spread the mission of KKintl. across the states by helping interns work booths at various
events, by giving them a place to sleep and sometimes just by offering a good meal.

Administrative overheard and direct service expenditures

KKintl. maintains a low overhead so that we may place our resources where the impact is greatest. 89 percent
of stewardship, $2,523,771 in 2014, goes to program services, and 11 percent, $309,360 in 2014, goes to
administration/fundraising. We surpassed $2 million in revenue from product sales, which made up about 80
percent of our total revenue in 2014. In 2014, product sales grew 119 percent from the previous year. 100
percent of our donations are able to go directly to the program initiatives in our program locations.

Organizational policies
Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:
1) To improve customer service: The email address you provide for order processing will only be used to send you
information and updates pertaining to your order. Unless you decide to opt-in to our promotional newsletter
lists.
2) To process transactions: Your information, whether public or private, will not be sold, exchanged, transferred,
or given to any other company for any reason whatsoever, without your consent, other than for the express
purpose of delivering the purchased product or service requested.

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