Indian Artisans

 The women at this group are able to work from home, rather than have to work for the many sweatshops that exist in India, which work employees 12-14 hours a day. This allows these women to be at home, spend time with their families and make a fair wage!

  Many in India are unable to read and write, as most cannot afford an education. But this group has also started a school for three of the poorest villages in the area and helps provide clean water! Their goal is to train their artisans to own their own business, so that they can provide for their family!  The gift of sustainable business does not only affect one person, but whole communities and generations to come!

---

Young, unmarried women in remote areas are commonly not allowed to leave their impoverished villages because of such a conservative mindset. If they did decide to leave, they often end up in the sex trade or sweatshops. Now, through Fair Trade, many of these women are empowered to be self-reliant, something that is sometimes unheard of in their villages! By making these handcrafts, they are stepping out from the thinking that women have no value. They are now able to take care of themselves and are respected in their villages, giving them hope for their future!

---

Leper Colony

This beautiful handbag is made by Artisans in a Leprosy Colony, located in India. All the Artisans either have leprosy themselves or their family members have leprosy. Those with Leprosy have disfiguring skin sores, nerve damage, and progressive debilitation. Leprosy is totally curable. Sadly when you make less than two dollars a day you cannot get the simple cure. All those making the products are in a loving environment and have been cured so they are no longer contagious.

Those who were treated for Leprosy in the hospital and were either unwelcome back in their own homes or thought they would be unwelcome, settled in simple huts made of mud beside the railway land and slowly formed a community. Those who were not asked to stay away thought their presence would make life difficult for their family. In their own small community in India, they are secure and do not have to hide their disabilities and disease!
***Every person in this community who has had leprosy has been treated and no longer has the disease or the ability to spread the disease, so there is no risk to anyone who buys a bag made in the colony. 

Also, leprosy is completely curable! If caught early and treated properly, the patient need not even become disabled at all and they becomes non-infectious about a week after the first dose of multi drug therapy.