Laxmi Line
Experience
the durability
of hand-loomed fabrics
Laxmi Line
Savor
the richness
of traditional
craftwork
Grasp
the power of women
changing their
lives
Integrate
that wealth into your life
Showcase
in your home
this beauty
In the village of Kirtipur, Nepal, one brave woman aspired to educate her children and bring her family out of poverty. Her hard work and vision and her partnership with a Fair Trade organization changed her life, the life of her family & the lives of 60 other families in her village.
Laxmi Maharjan is a traditional weaver who never went to school herself but who dreamed of sending her children to school. Raised in a culture that never allowed her to handle or control any of the money made from her craft, she understood that to be able to send her kids to school and pull her family out of poverty she needed to control the money from her work. In 1984 she discovered a Nepalese fair trade organization, The Association for Craft Producers, which would pay her directly for her work and help her set up a savings account. Now 30 years later her daughter and 2 sons have college educations and Laxmi has organized 60 other traditional women weavers in her village to understand fair trade and receive their earnings directly as well! Her work & leadership have transformed their lives and their culture!
The fair trade organization Laxmi partnered with taught Laxmi how to calculate the value of her work and how to save money. Now after earning fair wages and getting consistent orders, the men in her village value the women’s work and their economic contribution to their community. The women’s management of their income has changed the power dynamic in these women’s lives and allowed their voices to be heard, giving them more decision-making power in their families and in their community.
The income earned by the traditional women weavers in Laxmi’s village has become so significant that now the men work together with the women to help with the weaving production. Laxmi, as director, has become her husband’s boss, which is something that would have been unheard of 30 years ago. Since the women work with a Fair Trade organization they not only get fair wages paid directly to them but they also receive the benefits of social programs set up specifically for the producers. As a member of the Fair Trade group they have access to a scholarship fund to help them keep their children in school and to workshops on topics such as how to vote and how to exercise their rights as women and citizens. This is a long way from the world Laxmi grew up in.
Together it takes 2 people 16 hours to create 200 meters of warp. The warp once completed is taken to a weaver’s home and placed on a floor loom that has been passed down to the weaver through generations. It will take one hour for a weaver to complete 1 meter of cloth, 200 hours to weave the entire warp. This one warp will make about 500 of Ganesh Himal’s dishtowels. Their traditional craft is alive and now nourishes their lives much more fully.
Women like Laxmi are improving their lives and educating their children, as they have always dreamed of being able to do. They have been given and they have taken the chance to control the money earned from the fabrics they make. They have been educated about the value of their work, learned about business and have been treated fairly.
As more people become aware of the value of fair trade, more women will have the opportunity to change their lives and improve the lives of their children and their communities.
Experience-Savor-Grasp-Integrate and showcase these amazing women’s lives in your home through the purchase of their fairly traded products.
