Joy

Making kaisa grass baskets brings joy to Kalpana Rani in Hazigonj, Bangladesh. Hazigonj is a small village in a very rural, chronically poor part of northwestern Bangladesh. Most people like Kalpana can only find poorly paid seasonal work during rice planting and harvesting times. They can sometimes earn a little more money by collecting firewood and carrying it for many kilometers in the hope of selling it for a few pennies.

In 1999 Mennonite Central Committee encouraged a group of women including Kalpana Rani to organize into a basket making artisan group using local wild kaisa grass and their traditional basket making skills. These baskets are now sold locally and exported to Ten Thousand Villages in Canada and the USA. The income from basket making is greater than rice paddy work and it is steadier and more consistent throughout the year. Kalpana says that she can now afford basic healthcare for her family, a good steady diet of nutritious food, decent clothing. She smiles broadly when she says she can now afford to send her children to school since she can afford to pay for school fees, books and supplies.

Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to artisans like Kalpana Rani by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Your purchase makes a difference and brings joy to artisans around the world.

Fair Trade

Ten Thousand Villages. A Fair Trade Retailer.
Your fair trade purchase of handmade jewelry, home decor and gifts helps improve the lives of thousands of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.