Fair trade uplifts, restores, and connects. It’s love in action!
How about some good news? Our partners have been working on projects in the past year to promote artisans’ work around the world. Fair traders maintain long term-relationships built on love, mutual respect, and hope for the future. Here’s three inspiring stories that show how your dollars are at work. Little by little, a little becomes a lot!
From our friends at WorldFinds:
WorldFinds exists to provide sustainable work and fair wages to create a lasting impact in artisan communities. The upcycled kantha jewelry and accessories that their partners create are a customer favorite!
For Fair Trade Month last October, the team asked their partners in New Delhi, India what they wished for the most. WorldFinds raised enough funds to help them establish a new tailoring & stitching training center, down to the tables and chairs! They received sewing machines, tools, a year’s worth of raw materials, a year’s salary/stipend for teachers & crafts training experts, and a year’s worth of transportation for the students to the facility.
There are already 40 women enrolled at the center, and they’re quickly learning skills that will allow them to obtain fair wage employment in just a few months. There is a waitlist for even more trainees to join!
From our friends at Matr Boomie:
Matr Boomie partners with 1,500 artisans in marginalized communities throughout India to create economic and sustainable living opportunities. They create jewelry, accessories, home goods, and more—all bringing traditional artforms of India together with a timeless and modern design aesthetic.
In some rural communities in India, women are desperately in need of sanitary hygiene products during menstruation. It is a taboo subject in Indian society. Women feel shamed, which means they become further secluded and exclude themselves from important activities. Their health is also at risk, due to lack of hygiene and unsanitary practices.
In July, Matr Boomie’s partners in India surveyed the needs of women across 15 low-income, slum areas. They prioritized one area, Kathputli Nagar. Here, most residents do not have a regular source of income, houses are only temporary structures, there are no sewage systems, and no efficient medical treatment. The team talked with women in the community several times to build trust and awareness., and in the end, they mobilized the community to create an all day sanitary napkin drive.
Matr Boomie’s home office in Austin, TX partnered with Raley’s Supermarkets to provide the funds to purchase 37,200 sanitary napkins from an Indian distributor, which were handed out to 1,200 women in Kathputli Nagar. It required much coordination across states and countries with many moving parts on the ground in India. The reward was seeing smiles on the faces on women of all ages! Here’s a video to see the lively campaign in action >> Watch the video
From our friends at Passion Lilie:
Passion Lilie partners with craftspeople in India to create ethically handmade fashion and home goods in small batches. They have been able to increase their order size by 25% in the past year, thanks to the rise in demand for more ethical fashion options.
Few women in the workforce in India ever rise to advanced positions, even if they have the skill. Passion Lilie is dedicated to building a more equitable workplace, which is why they started a job training program five years ago. Women interested in the apparel industry are provided with three months of free job training, a salary, a loaned sewing machine, and space to work in their sewing unit. This year, they are pleased to introduce Jayanthi (pictured to the left). She has completed the program and is set up for success in her career!
Founder Katie Schmidt writes, “Long-term, sustainable change is more than just paying fair wages. Our business model provides artisans with opportunities to enrich their skills and empowers them to achieve higher goals.”
