In 1993, young craftspeople in Terhazer, a village near Agadez, organized to create leather 
handicrafts and silver jewelry. After traveling through France, selling from a backpack for 
several years, Illies Mouhmoud and his friends organized formally and began UPAP/Tanakra in 1999. 
Artisans working with UPAP/Tanakra make traditional Tuareg jewelry and use the income they make to 
supplement their subsistence farming and other livelihoods. 
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Ten Thousand Villages purchases silver jewelry from UPAP/Tanakra. Ten Thousand Villages has 
purchased products from UPAP/Tanakra since 2002. 
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