Paper with a Powerful Purpose

Large sheets of handmade paper dry on racks in the sun at SERRV’s partner Get Paper Industry (GPI) in Nepal. GPI is a remarkable artisans’ cooperative where the members make paper by recycling waste products such as cotton rags and paper, and using natural fi bers like banana stems and water hyacinth.

The breadth of GPI’s work, along with its sister organization General Welfare Pratisthan, is an inspiration that reaches far beyond the artisans who make the paper. Milan explained, “Out of every order, 40% is set aside for our welfare fund, which supports four main areas: education, AIDS awareness, income-generating activities for women, and the environment.”

GPI has a strong focus on enhancing the lives and the status of women and girls. “I remember one young woman whose husband died within a month after marriage,” Milan recalled. “She was in real trouble, because the support wasn’t there. She came to us and now is doing much better. She can make her own decisions and is more respected now.”

(continued on page 2(continued on page 2( )continued on page 2)continued on page 2

“Fair trade...is how the poor and those with hard lives can get better. The biggest change I see is that

producers are becoming better off.

They can send their children to school

and have more access to different

types of food.”

– Milan Dev Bhattarai, Cooperative Member & Director, Get Paper Industry

W I N T E R 2 0 1 0a nonp ro f i t o rgan i za t i on

Craft in PakistanThis past summer, product development director Jean Johnson was able to visit SERRV partner Dominion Traders and other talented artisans on a USAID-funded fair trade buyers trip to Pakistan.

Handcraft exports are vitally important for Pakistan. Craft is one of very few ways that women, particularly rural women, can earn money. Most women in rural Pakistan live in purdah (the strict separation of women and men) and are rarely, if ever, allowed to leave their home without a male family member. When a women’s craft organization is initiated in these small villages to provide training and orders, it is the fi rst step towards a more independent life for the women. Once they begin to contribute economically to their household they often fi nd they have a stronger voice in other decisions. Dominion Traders has started a new women’s group sewing stunning recycled sari wall art, including SERRV’s Regal Remnants Wall Art.

Many of Dominion Traders artisans are skilled onyx and wood carvers. Syed Fahad Ali, the director of Dominion Traders, is proud of the fact that none of his employees have been laid off during recent hard times, even though infl ation is at 130% and daily power outages make craft work very diffi cult.

With a history of working with Dominion Traders for 30 years, SERRV recognizes the urgency of continued work in Pakistan to increasingly empower women, as well as to support artisans in times of need due to recent fl ooding.

below: Jean with Dominion Traders’ artisans in Pakistan

(continued from page 1)

Through a Send Your Daughter to School campaign (featuring free backpacks to spread the message), scholarships for girls, and the support of fi ve schools which educate 700 children, GPI touches the lives of countless girls in Nepal—a country where the education boys is prioritized.

GPI’s sister organization is also active in promoting

AIDS awareness, particularly among long-distance truck drivers on the highways in Nepal. Hand-in-hand with this activity, they work to reduce the traffi cking of women and girls by providing them with alternate economic activities including candle making, sewing, and agricultural activities like raising livestock.

GPI cares for people and their communities, and is committed to producing paper in an environmentally-friendly way. They focus on using recycled materials, the paper is dried in natural sunlight, and they have installed a waste water treatment plant to protect the environment. To enhance their community, they have planted more than 4,000 trees. And they conduct art competitions and programs with school children, so they too, learn to protect their environment.

GPI started in 1988 not as a cooperative, but as a family business engaged in traditional papermaking. As the family defi ned their business’ values, they took the extraordinary step of giving GPI to the artisans to run cooperatively. “We had been following fair trade values for many years,” said Milan Dev Bhattarai, the Director of GPI, a member of the family and now a member of the cooperative, “but this change was the only way we saw to really empower producers.” GPI is now a cooperative of 100 people, giving the artisans a powerful voice in decision making. During busy times, the cooperative can employ up to 500 additional workers.

When asked what he wanted SERRV’s customers to know, Milan said, “Fair trade values should be spread—more people should be educated. It is how the poor and those with hard lives can get better.” GPI is a strong partner for SERRV, and Milan added, “SERRV knows that supporting us is not just about buying products, but about helping in many ways and directions.” SERRV’s gift wrap is also handmade by GPI artisans.

Blessings Bookmarks, page 67 of SERRV’s Holiday Catalog

Children in one of fi ve schools supported by Get Paper Industry

A Passion to SERRVEvery fall for the last fi ve years, Colin and Catherine Crawford have traveled from the UK to Maryland to help SERRV staff make sure the busy holiday season runs smoothly and successfully. Through their volunteered time and assistance with operations, business matters, volunteer coordination, fair trade education, the SERRV store, and more, Colin and Catherine have helped SERRV with their skills, dedication and enthusiasm throughout the fall season and beyond.

Colin was drawn to SERRV after a career in international banking and employment with Shared Interest, a fair trade investment cooperative. He shares, “I believe SERRV is a handcraft organization doing something unique in the fair trade world: actually developing products with overseas partners that can then be marketed to other buyers. I am passionate about SERRV’s intent for producers to access additional markets and become sustainable on their own.”

Thank you, Colin and Catherine, for all you do for SERRV!

“I remain with my dignity.”On Saturdays, 44-year-old Chandrikaben Umeshbhai brings her fi nished embroidery to Sister Lucia at St. Mary’s Mahila Shikshan Kendra, a women’s handicraft organization run by Dominican Sisters in Ahmedabad, India. Sister Lucia carefully checks each piece; Chandrikaben is paid; and she takes a new bundle of stamped cloth, thread, and mirrors to embroider during the week.

For Chandrikaben, St. Mary’s is much more than a place to work. Her husband of 22 years recently died, and the 450-member cooperative has become her family. “Sister Lucia is like a mother,” she says. “I have paid back all the loans St. Mary’s gave me to buy medicine and care for my husband.”

Each day, for about seven hours, Chandrikaben embroiders works of art. When she is not embroidering, she cooks and sells her food in the community. She takes pride in her work, and as is true for many women at St. Mary’s, it is a place of joy and happiness. “With St. Mary’s, I earn my own and remain with my dignity,” Chandrikaben emphasizes.

St. Mary’s is committed to improving the lives of impoverished women and their families through economic opportunities and women’s development. The cooperative is a remarkable mix of women from Christian, Muslim and Hindu faiths, all with their own traditions, customs, and dialects. Many came to Ahmedabad from rural areas seeking employment, and St. Mary’s has become a home and family.

Dyeing Sustainable Tagua NutsTagua nuts are large seeds found in the cloudforest in Ecuador. When tagua falls from a tree, the fruit is eaten and the nuts are collected. By creating and marketing crafts made from tagua, harvesters and artisans earn an income and the forest is preserved.

SERRV partners in Ecuador recently participated in a training workshop on tagua nut dyeing and polishing techniques, thanks to a grant from Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade Fund. Thirteen artisans representing eight fair trade groups attended the workshop. When asked about the workshop, one artisan summed up the benefi ts, “For me, it helped much, especially in the preparation of colors and to share experiences with companions.”

As tagua nut products become more popular, skills training gives artisans opportunities to increase their markets and their incomes.

Chandrikaben embroiders the Stellar Holiday Textiles, on page 65 of the SERRV Holiday Catalog

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SERRV was proud to welcome Jhonson Augustin and Gisele Fleurant from Comite Artesanal Haitien (CAH) on a ten-day tour to visit customers in Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. Jhonson demonstrated his work at each stop on the tour, while Gisele spoke about how fair trade provides Haitians with direct and tangible benefi ts.

2010 Craft Haiti’s Future Artisan Tour

St. Mary’s Church & Community Art Center Elmira, NY

One World Goods, Rochester, NY

Nicholls Memorial Presbyterian Church & Old Forge Art Center, Old Forge, NY

Lutheran World Relief & Catholic Relief Services, Baltimore, MD

SERRV Store, New Windsor, MD

Mt. Hebron Presbyterian Church, Ellicott City, MD

Trinity Lutheran Church, Norristown, PA