About the Founders
Our founders, Bob & Kim Whitlock, are from the United States but have lived and worked in India, Sri Lanka, and Brazil. During their years abroad they saw firsthand the devastation of poverty, homelessness, addiction, and human trafficking. In response to the desperate situations they witnessed, the Whitlocks helped establish 2 schools and 2 orphanages in India.
Kim wanted to do more to stop all the forms of exploitation she encountered daily. She had no idea what to do but God told her to simply use the skills she had learned over the years to help others. In 2012, in the tribal villages of India, Kim started teaching women how to sew with the goal of being able to sell their products for income. Every week the number of women doubled at the classes. It was in that remote village that The Scarlet Thread began.
When the Whitlocks moved back home to America they registered The Scarlet Thread International, Inc. as an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. They now work with exploited women in different parts of the United States and in developing nations who need a platform to sell their handmade goods, earn income, and support their families. It is Bob & Kim’s desire to provide these artisans with hope, freedom, and independence. The Scarlet Thread is non-profit for a reason...to reinvest into the futures of those in need. The organization donates to other charitable organizations around the world to provide education and job-skills training. Every product we sell equals an empowered life somewhere in the world.
