Behind every hand made product is an individual, a person. Here you will be able to read about the organisations who support the producers with their work by promoting a fairer way of doing business.

VIVA AFRICA (meaning Celebrate Africa), Nakuru in Kenya

Viva Africa was formed by Viva Bedi to give employment opportunities to the needy in her local community.  Her particular concern is for the hearing impaired and mute men and women in Nakuru and over the last 18 months over 25 people have gained meaningful employment with VA and two separate student groups from the local Deaf and Dumb School have participated in training sessions.

This is the August 08 training group at Viva Africa (with yours truly).

Viva Africa specialises in using the traditional East African kikoi fabric.  The fabric is 100% cotton grown in East Africa (Tanzania, Uganda or Kenya).  The raw cotton is then turned into material which is dyed into vibrant colours and used for wraps, tablewear and clothing.

edun LIVE - suppliers of African made T-shirts

When you buy a t-shirt from One Colour you will almost certainly find "made in Uganda (or Lesotho)" screenprinted in to the neck.  So why do we think it's so important to buy t-shirts made in Africa?

In 1980 the continent of Africa accounted for 6% of world trade.  This figure dropped to less than 2% by 2002. Africans could earn an additional $70 billion in exports each year if its trade share increased by just one percentage point.  Read on to find out other great reasons to wear African made. The facilities edun LIVE use are located in countries such as Mauritius, Lesotho, Tanzania, Uganda and more. These factories are held to very high environmental and social standards, and are audited by their third-party monitoring organization Verite.

Whenever possible organic cotton is used and edun LIVE constantly encourages and supports their farmers and other partners in the local communities to learn organic production. They partner with the Wildlife Conversation Society to form the Conservation Cotton Initiative, which aims to improve the livelihoods of African communities by investing in sustainably harvested "conservation cotton."

edun LIVE are committed and working to ensure that every individual involved in the production chain benefits from the purchase of each edun LIVE tee and that everyone from the farmer to the factory worker is given fair pay for his or her contribution.

TARANGO IN BANGLADESH

Tarango is a Bangladeshi women's development organisation.  One of the main projects Tarango is engaged in is their handicrafts programme which aims to assist highly disadvantaged semi and non-literate women from rural areas.  Using fair trade principles, Tarango helps to market products whilst ensuring the women receive a fair wage.

One of their most popular items is the large tote, made from recycled cement bags (pictured left).  The women involved in the project are given training and assistance in quality control so that each bag is made to a consistent standard. Through the fair trade process the Tarango women are given the opportunity to earn a living and so improve their socio-economic situation. For more on Tarango, go to their website:  www.tarango-bd.org

SINIK'ITHEMBA (Give Us Hope) CRAFTERS , South Africa

Sinik'ithemba is a Christian organisation based at McCord's Hospital in Durban.  It is involved in providing assistance through medical and palliative care, counselling and skills training for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Within the well-equipped sewing room women can learn to sew and enjoy the friendship of other women.  There is also a large bead and wire work co-operative operating from Sinik'ithemba where men and women can use their skills to generate an income to support their families.