Meet Sudha

- the daughter of a weaver, educated yet remaining in her village to continue what she considers important work for the future of her village. 

Sudha's weaving group has a strong relationship with fair trade organisation NCT (Nepali Craft Trading).

Sudha says, “People like working for NCT, it is good work, good facilities, a good working environment. We get ten rupees from NCT, whereas we would only get two or three from other business people."

"The women in the village now all own their own looms. Weavers earn good money now so they get respect from their families and husbands. Some of the producers’ husbands help them to make bobbins, prepare food and help get the kids to school. Producers use their income to send their kids to school."

"Most women used to stay at home, but now through NCT they get to go outside and see other things and participate in picnics and activities. NCT is slowly changing the technology for weaving and, through product design and improvements, weaving can be a part of the future for the village.” 

 
Sudha                                                          Laxmi, Sudha and Laxmi's grandson

Meet Laxmi

Laxmi is Sudha's mother. Laxmi met Nepali Craft Trading twenty-two years ago, back when NCT was just beginning. Thanks to this partnership, the weaving group has become a success and now includes seventy women in three villages. Laxmi has been at the centre of this partnership, but is now passing on to the next generation.

Laxmi and her grandson

Laxmi says about the beginnings of her group:
“Twenty-four years ago a group from England stayed near my father’s house and were promoting tradespeople’s skills. The weavers made samples on the one loom in the village (belonging to my family) for the group to market around the city. At this stage the economic status of the village was zero. Some of the product was successfully sold and as a result, the villagers were able to purchase more looms. Now the village is dependent on weaving as their source of income and all houses have a loom. Before NCT, I only had one skill – weaving, so NCT’s role was to take the samples we made and find markets. NCT also placed orders with the weavers to fill, giving them advanced payments to make the order.”

Laxmi says she was disappointed that she never learnt to read and write as a child and wanted to make sure her children received the chance that she had never had. Laxmi has been able to educate each of her three children with the income she has earned from weaving, and her daughter Sudha is now taking over the responsibility for coordinating the groups. Sudha has a Master’s Degree in Sociology, and has chosen to remain in her town where she grew up to take over from her mother. Laxmi also has a grandson whom she is pictured with above.

Meet Mathura

Mathura Maharjan is one of the weavers in the same village. Mathura dropped off her weaving while a Trade Aid group was visiting, and we saw her woven fabric being weighed. In general the women weave about seven metres of fabric per day. Mathura will receive immediate payment for each amount of cloth she weaves and delivers.

Mathura’s proud smile as she showed us her weaving was a real testament to the dignity and pride created by fair trade employment.

Mathura Maharjan with her woven product

Meet Jugal

Each weaver has a loom in their house and all the weavers are women. The exception is Mathura’s husband: Jugal Krishna Maharjan, the only man in the group. His loom is much larger than those the women weave on, and because of this his loom is at the headquarters where finished weaving is delivered to

Jugal Krishna Maharjan

And from a different village:

Meet Bhagbati

Bhagbati is only twenty-eight and has been the leader of a weaving group for over ten years. She began weaving at sixteen and showed a natural aptitude for it; she is very fast and can turn out cloth quickly. Bhagbati has nine other women working with her, and they rent the rooms from a landlord where they all work together on the looms. She lives with her father and also has a sister who is married and living with her husband.

Bhagbati's father makes spices and could only afford to pay for her education until Year 10. However, using the money she now earns from weaving, Bhagbati has decided to study towards a Bachelor’s Degree in business studies. She wants to be able to promote the group and attain sustainability in the long-term. In early 2007 she said, "The domestic market for textiles is improving and our weaving is selling well locally.” The group has a savings account with NCT.

Baghbati

NCT Artisans from a felting group named after 'Indira' the group leader

Sunita Karki, cross hatching the wool to make sheets of felt

Ganga Lamichauk, using soapy water to mould the felt into a finished product

Women from Indira's group turning felt into bags and slippers