Purpose in every thread: Celebrating four years with Tanana Madagascar

Kyley Schmidt, outgoing General Manager of CPALI's social enterprise, reflects on how the venture has grown and what she'll take away as she embarks on her next chapter.

Kyley Schmidt and Lalaina Raharindimby display Tanana Madagascar textiles at the Shoppe Object New York Global Artisan Project pavilion in Fall 2024. (Photo: Tanana Madagascar)

When you first joined CPALI to oversee Tanana Madagascar, what drew you to the organization's mission?

During my Peace Corps service (2003-2005), I met CPALI's founder, Dr. Catherine Craig.  One day, she knocked on the door of my village home in the central highlands of Madagascar and introduced herself. We were both developing wild silk-centered initiatives, in different areas of the island. After returning to the U.S., I checked on CPALI from time to time as the organization's social enterprise took shape. I saw that Tanana’s artisan team was creating unique and beautiful wild silks using a sewn cocoon technique that I had never encountered before. It was intriguing.  Coming from a textile and fair trade background, I could tell that this organization was made up of artisans who were incredibly talented and motivated. Learning how their wild silk program was intertwined with an on-the-ground forest regeneration effort made the work that much more powerful and appealing.   

Why do you think ventures like Tanana Madagascar are so important today?

People value knowing where their products come from, and how they’re produced. At the same time, they're yearning for a life with more human connection and meaning. Tanana creates beautiful handmade pieces that provide inspiration that only a handmade item can offer. At the same time, they support poverty alleviation and conservation. Helping the local organizations that we believe in is a way of feeling a deeper connection to what’s real, and what matters.

How do social enterprises create opportunities that traditional development approaches sometimes cannot?

Traditional aid is often project-based, providing temporary assistance, which may fail to achieve long-term results and sustainability. A social enterprise is different because it is a structure that exists long-term to provide relief to a systematic problem. This long-term approach allows social enterprises like Tanana Madagascar to have deep involvement with communities, build more capacity, and achieve a profound and lasting impact.

The Tanana Madagascar artisan team in Maroantsetra, northeastern Madagascar, 2025. (Photo: Courtesy of SEPALI Madagascar)

How has your understanding of Tanana Madagascar's impact evolved over these four years? 

Fair trade artisan organizations often focus on creating meaningful and desirable jobs for women living in areas that lack job opportunities.  While this type of economic impact was a big part of what spurred my interest in fair trade, CPALI and its Madagascar sister organization SEPALI Madagascar, took it a step further--or maybe ten steps further--by developing a comprehensive program of wild silk propagation.  Over the years, I learned that this program is surprisingly complex to execute and is not for the faint of heart. But the payoff makes it worth the effort. Raising wild silkworms that feed on endemic rainforest species encourages local farmers to plant host plants for the silkworms, which in turn provides financial incentives for people to live in harmony with the forest rather than cutting it down for resources.  The environmental and economic ripple effects created from this dual approach increase positive impact, but require extensive effort from our Madagascar partners. The work behind the scenes to produce these special textiles is noteworthy.

What accomplishments during your tenure have made you most proud?

First, collaborating with creatives, designers, and amazing artisans to make textile magic happen. Lots of shoutouts here, you all know who you are!

Second, building a base of happy wholesale customers, some of whom became long-term partners and friends.

Third, setting up successful online sales platforms and participating in large shows that helped our Malagasy artisans gain international market exposure.

And finally, working closely with our Tanana Madagascar artisan lead, Lalaina Raharindimby, to support her and her team’s journey of creativity and leadership.

The immersive and rich color field of a Tanana Madagascar wild Ceranchia apollina cocoon silk tapestry. (Photo: Tanana Madagascar)

What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced, and how did they shape your leadership style?

My biggest challenge working for a small but growing entrepreneurial social venture was wearing lots of hats every day, and sometimes feeling spread thin.  We punch above our weight to get where we want to be, and there’s always a long list of to-dos.

I’ve never considered myself a natural born leader, but more of a person that enjoys growing capacity in others.  Over the years I’ve realized that is an important form of leadership.  Many women empower those around them through being a mother or teacher or supportive co-worker that gets the job done, and they should be respected and celebrated as leaders.

What do you think people outside of Madagascar don't understand about the communities we work with?

Sometimes it can be hard to understand how remote these communities are, and how dedicated and resourceful artisans and farmers have to be in order to run operations on the margins of a rainforest.  Maroantsetra, where our artisans workshop is located that crafts Tanana pieces, is inaccessible by car due to muddy, rutty roads.  The only reasonable way of getting people in or out is by air, and there is usually only one flight a week to the capital city, if the weather cooperates. Local travel from village to village involves motorcycles on small paths, motor-powered canoes, river crossings, and muddy foot paths. Rain and cyclones are a constant factor, affecting power outages and transportation schedules, so the Madagascar team must be patient and tenacious to work around these factors.

Team members in northeastern Madagascar traverse a flooded path to train rural artisans and farmers in crafts, biochar, and agroforestry under CPALI-SEPALI Madagascar collaborative programs. (Photo: Courtesy of Mamy Ratsimbazafy/SEPALI Madagascar)

What changes did you help implement at Tanana Madagascar that you hope will have a lasting impact?

In collaboration with the SEPALI Madagascar artisan team, I helped institute a higher level of quality control for Tanana Madagascar products. I feel certain that the artisans and our wonderful U.S. team will keep that going strong! In addition, by achieving higher online exposure and through personal outreach, I helped build a wholesale customer base, often through collaborations and partnerships that have lasted for years. These relationships provide more financial stability for the artisan workshop. My hope is that they will continue long into the future.

Who made the biggest difference during your time with Tanana Madagascar?

We are a small but mighty team with a tight-knit community…. so, everyone!  But I have to give a shoutout to Lalaina Raharindimby, our artisan leader. She’s a ray of sunshine – such a smart, creative, and incredibly motivated person – she never ceases to amaze me. She brings out the best in her team and it shows. Mamy, who is the director of SEPALI Madagascar, is the master of silkworms and operational management.  They are a powerhouse, and both dear to my heart. I also want to acknowledge the many dedicated people who have built CPALI and Tanana Madagascar over the years, and the new leadership team for taking the organization to another level, giving this program a bright, solid future.

Mamy Ratsimbazafy and Lalaina Raharindimby of SEPALI Madagascar run the artisans workshop where Tanana Madagascar textiles are crafted in northeastern Madagascar (Photo: Rachel Kramer/CPALI)

What moments will you carry with you the longest?

Certainly the in-person moments. I remember setting up and working the Tanana booth at Shoppe Object as a part of the Global Artisan Project.  The show was invigorating, and so was wandering around bustling New York City with Lalaina during off hours. Another memorable moment was IFAM Santa Fe, which was a whirlwind of artisans, craft treasures, evening downpours and rainbows, music and colors. And then there were the quiet private times, prepping Tanana pieces and packing orders before we had a fulfillment helper. Small steps over the years have brought us a long way.

Emeritus Tanana Madagascar Lead, Kessa Laxton, and Kyley Schmidt represent the social enterprise at the International Folk Art Market (IFAM) in Santa Fe, 2022. (Photo: Courtesy of Kyley Schmidt)

What excites you most about the future of Tanana Madagascar?

The artisans have come so far in terms what they can accomplish--improved quality control, design, consistency, production capacity, as well as professional development--I’m so proud of them, and excited to see how their journey unfolds in the future!

Also, thanks to grant support and renewed focus from CPALI’s executive director, Rachel Kramer, and SEPALI Madagascar's director, Mamy Ratsimbazafy, the artisans have started a village-based training program in which 60 new artisans from surrounding villages are being trained in traditional raffia techniques and wild silk craft creation.  This expansion of artisanal practices can help build craft-based income opportunities for new artisans and their families in rural Madagascar.

Kyley Schmidt and Rachel Kramer showcase Tanana Madagascar offerings at the 2024 Museum Store Association trade show in Baltimore to grow a wholesale base and bring in sustainable income for artisans in Madagascar. (Photo: CPALI)

What message would you like to share with those who believe in the mission of Tanana Madagascar?

Tanana truly cannot do this work without you.  Every purchase, every message, every ‘like’, every Tanana piece you show your friends, it all adds up to keeping this social venture going, and it all matters.

But transformation is holistic.  Our everyday purchasing decisions and the ways we live our lives support a larger movement toward sustainability and social change. When you donate, volunteer, or promote mission-driven organizations--or purchase handmade or fair-trade products--you become a driver of this movement and help shape our world for the better.

From one to many: the CPALI U.S. team convenes in 2025 to develop a roadmap for further strengthening the Tanana Madagascar social venture. The aim: hone a model to serve a growing number of artisans and farmers in northeastern Madagascar and further elevate Malagasy traditional and contemporary textiles. (Photo: CPALI)

Consider supporting local artisans and farmers in northeastern Madagascar by purchasing their beautiful handmade products from Tanana Madagascar, donating to CPALI.org to keep our venture running, and spreading the word to your friends and family. You can also connect with Tanana online on Instagram and Facebook. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve and grow. Reach out to info@tananasilk.com -- our team would love to hear from you.