A case story from Shohojogita Fair Trade Producer Group, Bangladesh

Ruma Sarkar is the name of a dynamic college girl.
She dreamt a good dream for higher education. She is the second among 4 children of her parents. Ruma and her younger sister and brother continue studying at the local college. Last year, she took her final examination for her course Bachelor of Arts (B.A). They are living at Mirzapur village under Gazipur district which is close to the capital of Dhaka. Her father is a temporary bricks and sands supplier. Sometimes there is minimal work, as it is a seasonal business. So the income sources were limited and very hard to bear the expenses of the 6 members’ in the family. A couple of years ago, Ruma’s elder sister got married. She could not continue study because of financial crisis. Ruma proudly expressed that her mother is a very talented-woman. She knows how to continue supporting the family with the very small income they have. Her mother was optimistic and determined to continue study for her children.
But Ruma Sarkar was observing the crisis of her family silently and was searching alternative sources of a little income for maintaining cost of her higher educations (college fees, dresses, pencils, books and etc). One day she saw that one of her poor neighbors was making embroidery for SHOHOJOGITA. She had felt interest in doing something artistic like embroidery stitching.
She contacted the manager of SHOHOJOGITA. At first she got offered very simple work. Her sample was very perfect and embroiders were neat and clean. In the meantime, we received orders of Christmas stockings from Siham Craftlink- our largest Australian buyer. The first sample of Christmas stockings has been made by Ruma Sarkar. The colour-matching of threads and style of stitching was very eye-catching and perfect.
Now Ruma is the successful manager of 34 poor artisans at Mirzapur village. She is distributing work-orders, colour-matching of threads, checking quality of products and paying the wages to the producers and meeting regularly to resolve the problems of embroidery works .
For her hard work and sincereness, she is getting extra money from SHOHOJOGITA as an additional income for her study and her siblings.
She is very friendly with the other producers, as well as hospitable and dynamic approaching. All the women involved in these projects need continuity of work.
Ruma now feels confident that she will continue studying for her Master’s degree. Finally Ruma says,” I have changed my life with the help of SHOHOJOGITA. I hope that SHOHOJOGITA will continue this support to assist the poor producers .”

Lots of new and exciting Fair Trade products have arrived !

Siham Craftlink was abuzz last week with 51 boxes delivered in a
combined sea shipment from Corr the Jute Works, Prokritee and the YWCA Bangladesh.
A week prior to this a sea shipment arrived from Shohojogita and
Surjomukhi. We at Siham are anticipating the demand for fair trade gifts
this Christmas and we are well prepared!
A new range of brilliantly exciting Christmas gift ideas and
decorations will be revealed in the weeks to come, so please keep checking!!
If curiosity gets the better of you and you cant wait that long, please
contact us and we will reveal the secrets !!

A producer story from Heed Handicrafts Fair Trade Group

Teresa is a Christian woman from the Western part of Bangladesh who makes Dateleaf baskets for HEED Handicrafts. She used to be only a housewife once, but now her strong non-stop basket weaving hands makes her the only valuable earning person of her family.
Teresa liked basket making from her childhood and learntthis skill from her father. At
that time it was her hobby tomake baskets and thus she tried to help her father with her two little hands. But who knew that this skill of her would one day help her to feed her whole family. Teresa’s husband used to do little businesses and his income was not bad at all. But after 7 years of her marriage, he left her with two children behind. Teresa returned to her father’s house but there also bad luck hunted her. Her father died. All the responsibility to earn the livelihood of her two children along with her mother and one little brother fell on her. First she could not decide what to do. Then she remembered her childhood hobby and started to make date leaf baskets. She
joined a HEED Handicrafts producer group there, and started to make date leaf baskets from HEED Handicrafts throughout the year. Now Teresa has overcome the dark night of her sorrow with her
those two non-stop hands and her baskets which she makes for HEED Handicrafts. She earns about 4,000.00 Taka ( US $ 70.00) per month now. She sends her two children to school, her son is in class eight and her daughter is in class three. She has returned smile to her mother’s lips also. She taught her brother this skill and he started to make baskets for HEED Handicrafts also. Teresa and her baskets go side byside. She makes the baskets and they make her life to move
ahead.

A story that touches the soul

7/10/2009

Recently I wrote to Artisans Effort and asked if they could share a story of one of the artisans. They replied very quickly. This story reaches the soul. I now know why I am so passionate about Fair Trade. Shaista wrote the following.

We would like to share a fact with you. This is not story.

A woman with two sons lived with her husband. Her husband was truck driver and a drinker. Though his earnings were sufficient he used to blow all his money on drinks and friends. This used to create a lot of problem at home.There used to be regular fight at home. The two children used to suffer in every aspect.

The woman came to know about Artisans Effort through some one. She became a part of Artisans Effort. She is a hard working woman. She took products to make at home.

The husband did not like this too. So he got another point to fight. Poor woman used to come and take work from Artisans Effort when her husband was not in town, so that there is no fight and she and her children are not beaten up. She did this because she needed money and so there could be peace in the house.

We at Artisans Effort never knew about this story. We only knew that she had some financial problem. But one day we were all astonished to hear that she was beaten by her husband and he was trying to burn her just because his elder son did not listen to him as he was going for his tution. The father wanted him to do his work first but the son told him that after he returns from tuition he will do the work as he was already late for his classes. The mother supported the child and that was the end.The son went for his classes but the mother was beaten up and he became inhuman to his own wife. But fortunately she was helped by some of the neighbours. She was rescued. The local people informed the police.Seeing all this he fled.

After that he never returned.But now this woman lives alone with two children. We are trying to give more and more work so that she can run her family.

She is good at making hanging mobiles and some other items too.