Covid response from our supplier

FOOD DONATIONS FOR ARTISANS DURING COVID-19

Whilst it’s difficult to overstate the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had in this country, the effects on the lives of some of the 800 artisans working for our supplier, Asha Handicrafts, in India could have been catastrophic. We are proud to have been a part of a group of businesses financially supporting the Asha Research Centre; which worked to identify and support the most vulnerable artisans and support them through this difficult time.

A full national lockdown was implemented in India in mid March last year, and within weeks many of the artisans working for Asha Handicrafts were struggling to support their families due to the loss of their daily income. The Asha Research Centre worked quickly to identify the artisans that were in immediate need of financial help.

The centre was then challenged with providing support despite the country’s state of lockdown. They did this by transferring funds to those who had access to banking, and by distributing food directly to the centres of those who didn’t. The money we donated, along with Asha Handicraft’s other Fair Trade  partners, meant an equivalent of 1500 Rupees were donated to each of these artisans and their families; enough for the basic survival of a family of five for two to three weeks.

In total, the support reached nine different craft centres, 34 producer groups, and a total of 282 artisans and their families.

We want to thank Asha Handicrafts for their commitment to their artisans, and for effectively implementing this important work at that difficult time.

Click here for more information on Asha’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Click here for more information on our fair trade supplier, Asha Handicrafts.

“We have three children to feed and look after. Me and my husband both are daily wage workers. With our savings in the bank, we knew we can manage for about a month but it could have been difficult after that. The grocery food received from Asha Handicrafts was a blessing” – Shakuntala Devi, Jewelry Artisan, Jaipur

“I’m a daily wage worker. Due to lockdown, I didn’t have any work and hence no money to support my  family. The rations we received from Asha was the answer to our prayers. Thank you Asha for caring for us.” – Shakir, Wood Artisan, Saharanpur