Handmade Christmas Cards that make a difference

We have some special Christmas Cards on sale in our online shop this year. It is disadvantaged women that benefit most from these enterprises which enable them to earn a sustainable living.

From the Philippines we have a set of three handmade paper cards hand-decorated with dried flowers, leaves, sequins, gems and metallic thread. The cards are made by Salay Handmade Paper Industries is a family-owned business that started in 1987 with the objective of providing a sustainable livelihood for the people in the local area. The business currently has three production sites housing the fair trade paper production, the fair trade craft workers and an admin/sales office. Several workers work from home on a piecework basis. There are over 200 employees, the majority women.

We have a set of four cards is made entirely by hand, and that includes the paper, by skilled Nepali crafts people in the heart of the Himalayas. The craftspeople, most of whom are female, are employed by GPI, a company set up in 1984 with a loan from the World Bank. Originally, it made paper from lokta for the local market. In 1988 it began trading with Body Shop and its market was exclusively exported for some years. It also began using more environmentally-friendly raw materials (waste cotton from garment factories and waste paper from local businesses), because lokta use was linked to deforestation. Employees have grown from about 20 to over 100 (80% women), all in permanent jobs. Products are made from a variety of raw materials including cotton rags, waste paper along with banana tree stems, water hyacinth and jute.

We have another set of four cards, this time from Bangladesh, and they are also handmade. They are made by Eastern Screen Printers who are part of Prokritee. Prokritee has been working in Bangladesh since 1972, starting and operating small cottage industries in rural areas around the country. These include Action Bag and Eastern Screen Printers. There are about 700 people (about 95% are women) who are involved in making a variety of handicrafts and they strive to develop unique products.

The name 'Prokritee' means 'nature' in Bangla. The organisation aims to create employment for disadvantaged rural women. It tends to work with women who are head of their household (often widowed), and who are landless, with few or no assets. It sets up and runs cottage industries in rural areas as well as providing marketing and design assistance to 9 enterprises. The aim is that the groups become strong enough to become independent of Prokritee.

You can buy your Christmas Cards here: http://www.arushafairtrade.com/21-christmas-cards

Why Fair Trade is Good for Women

It is International Women's Day and inequality is still a serious problem in the world. We know this because 70% of the one billion people living on less than a dollar a day are women.*

• Women work 66% of the world’s working hours

• While only earning 10% of the world’s income

• Over 66% of the world’s 876 million illiterate people are women

• More than 80% of the world’s estimated 40 million refugees are women and children

• Women own less than 1% of the world’s property

Fair trade transforms lives and it is good for women. It gives them opportunities to work that would not otherwise be available. For women this means clean water, education and food for their families. We are very proud to say that the majority of the goods we sell are produced by women and we are very proud to be supporting the wonderful organisations which bring these goods to market.

Motif operating in Bangladesh since 1998 is a good example. The women making Motif products, such as fair trade jewellery are marginalised for reasons more than poverty. Some are former prostitutes; others have been affected by leprosy or other wasting diseases; some may have been divorced or abandoned - each situation scars women with a stigma that reduces their chance of decent employment. Employment at Motif daily provides a 'safe place' where they can share with other women and be earning at the same time. Many also take materials home, working when daily chores are put down. All enjoy the camaraderie together.

India. St Mary’s Mahila Shikshan Kendra is a women’s handicraft organization run by the Dominican Sisters in Gomtipur, Ahmadabad. This area of Ahmadabad, once known for its textile mills, suffered much unemployment since global competition closed the mills in the 1980s. It continues to attract landless labourers who come searching for work. Artisans of St. Mary’s create mirrorwork embroidery in the tradition of the Kathiawadis, a craft more than a thousand years old. The artisans of St. Mary’s share in decision–making and project responsibilities. St. Mary’s markets 20 percent of its products in India; the rest are sold abroad. The organization runs a dispensary and maternity clinic that caters to the poor and marginalized women of the area around St. Mary’s. It also runs health programs, a savings program, sewing education and children’s education programs. Since 1970, their embroidery program has provided employment for women of the area. St. Mary’s is intentionally a mix of Christian, Hindu and Muslim artisans working together. During 2002 religious riots in Gujarat state, St. Mary’s, with its history of religious understanding, became a refuge for many from the chaos and violence.

In the Philippines nearly 800 households were displaced from their homes by a major hydro-electric project. A co-operative was specifically set up to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for families and communities displaced from their homes. The co-operative producing lovely fair trade jewellery is made up of sixty women.

These organisations are just a small example of how fair trade helps women. We also sell products made by and empowering women in Peru, Nepal and Vietnam

According to the Fair Trade Federation, seventy percent of Fair Trade artisans are women, many of whom are the sole wage-earners in their homes. Unlike most jobs that women might hold in manufacturing where they are forced to travel great distances and work long hours in dangerous conditions, a woman’s participation in a Fair Trade cooperative is about more than just her production capacity. Fair Trade allows women to provide for their families, educate their sons and their daughters and strengthens communities.

*Statistics quoted from http://www.concern.net/


March 8th is International Women's Day

Further reading:  World Fair Trade Organisation, International Women's Day Section

Christmas Cards helping to create a livelihood for disadvantaged women

We have some special Christmas Cards on sale in our online shop this year. It is disadvantaged women that benefit most from these enterprises which enable them to earn a sustainable living.

From the Philippines we have a set of three handmade paper cards hand-decorated with dried flowers, leaves, sequins, gems and metallic thread. The cards are made by Salay Handmade Paper Industries is a family-owned business that started in 1987 with the objective of providing a sustainable livelihood for the people in the local area. The business currently has three production sites housing the fair trade paper production, the fair trade craft workers and an admin/sales office. Several workers work from home on a piecework basis. There are over 200 employees, the majority women.

We have a set of four cards is made entirely by hand, and that includes the paper, by skilled Nepali crafts people in the heart of the Himalayas. The craftspeople, most of whom are female, are employed by GPI, a company set up in 1984 with a loan from the World Bank. Originally, it made paper from lokta for the local market. In 1988 it began trading with Body Shop and its market was exclusively exported for some years. It also began using more environmentally-friendly raw materials (waste cotton from garment factories and waste paper from local businesses), because lokta use was linked to deforestation. Employees have grown from about 20 to over 100 (80% women), all in permanent jobs. Products are made from a variety of raw materials including cotton rags, waste paper along with banana tree stems, water hyacinth and jute.

We have another set of four cards, this time from Bangladesh, and they are also handmade. They are made by Eastern Screen Printers who are part of Prokritee. Prokritee has been working in Bangladesh since 1972, starting and operating small cottage industries in rural areas around the country. These include Action Bag and Eastern Screen Printers. There are about 700 people (about 95% are women) who are involved in making a variety of handicrafts and they strive to develop unique products.

The name 'Prokritee' means 'nature' in Bangla. The organisation aims to create employment for disadvantaged rural women. It tends to work with women who are head of their household (often widowed), and who are landless, with few or no assets. It sets up and runs cottage industries in rural areas as well as providing marketing and design assistance to 9 enterprises. The aim is that the groups become strong enough to become independent of Prokritee.

You can buy the cards at http://www.arushafairtrade.com