Moving Mountains: Fair Trade in Nepal

Aura Que bags are lined with hand woven Dhaka cloth

Antique metal fittings, handcrafted for the Aura Que bag range

Soft Buffalo leather used in the Aura Que bag range

On March 23rd, The Fair Traders Co-operative is pleased to host an evening of presentations and discussion focussing on ethical and sustainable trade with organisations in Nepal. Led by two of our suppliers who work closely with fair trade groups and disadvantaged communities in Nepal, the evening promises to be both informative and thought-provoking.
Local fashion accessories designer, Laura Queening, will be talking about working with the Nepal Fair Trade Group to improve income and quality of life in communities in remote, mountain-top locations; and Sue Lavender, Founder of ethical jewellery company Dhanusha Designs, will be discussing the origins of her organisation through the Lalgadh Leprosy Services Centre in South East Nepal.

Come and join us in our Community Room to learn more about these inspiring women and their innovative work. Tickets are now available from our online shop.
Country of contrasts
Think of Nepal and we picture towering snow-capped peaks and beautiful mountain landscapes. The name conjures images of crystal clear lakes, vast blue skies and lush mountain terraces. Unfortunately, this breathtaking environment is home to one of the poorest nations in the world, and to one of the highest rates of leprosy. For sufferers of this debilitating disease it’s not only the physical effects that make their lives difficult – local beliefs and culture see leprosy as a punishment for misdeeds in former lives, leading sufferers to be rejected by their communities and even by their families. Whilst the disease itself can now be treated easily and cheaply using modern medicine, a diagnosis of leprosy can nevertheless lead to being outcast, and in Nepalese culture this is considered to be a fate worse even than poverty or hunger. One sufferer quoted on the Nepal Leprosy Trust website describes the disease as “my living death”, and this despite the fact that from a medical perspective he was completely ‘cured’. However, the remaining ulcers, scarring and pain left him ostracised by his family and his community; to be dislocated from society in this way in a Hindu society such as Nepal is to be denied any meaningful role in life.
Both Laura and Sue work through the Nepal Leprosy Trust to support leprosy sufferers in building a life for themselves through fair trade.
Aura Que
Laura Queening’s unique, contemporary fashion accessories are designed in consultation with local workers in Nepal, to ensure that the best possible use is made of local skills and materials in bringing her bags, purses, scarves and stationary products to life. Environmental and fair trade principles underpin the design and manufacture of the Aura Que range… right down to the use of pedal powered machinery in the fair trade factory where the leather is worked.

Materials include hand-made lokta paper, banana yarn and leather that is a by-product of the food industry. Laura is committed to ensuring ethical working practices and fair trade, and aims to forge strong relationships with each of the manufacturers she works with, whether these be IFAT recognised factories or small, Nepalese family businesses. By maintaining long term relationships with suppliers based on fair prices, the businesses themselves can invest and grow, and their workers can rely on receiving a living wage into the future. Laura also works through the Nepal Leprosy Trust to support their projects providing employment and support for people affected by leprosy. See Laura’s latest collection at her website http://www.auraque.com and in our online shop.

Dhanusha Designs

The team at Dhanusha Designs

After visiting a hospital run by the Nepal Leprosy Trust, through which sufferers and their families are given treatment and support, Sue Lavender felt moved to work with the Trust to set up a project providing work and skills for people making use of the hospital. The Trust aims to bring improvements to every aspect of the lives of people affected by leprosy, by equipping them to re-adapt and re-integrate successfully into their communities, both socially and economically. The hospital Sue became involved with, the Lalgadh Leprosy Services Centre, provides healthcare and treatment for sufferers, and runs outreach programmes to prevent the spread of the disease and to tackle the social stigma that is attached to the illness in Nepalese society. The Centre also aims to provide empowerment and capacity building programmes, giving sufferers and their families training and opportunities to gain dignity, and an income. Sue set up Dhanusha Designs in partnership with the Trust, and working through the Lalgadh Centre, the company creates elegant beaded jewellery for sale in Nepal and the UK. All the workers are paid a fair wage and gain valuable skills, confidence and dignity via their involvement in the project. You can find out more about Dhanusha Designs on Facebook and see her products in our online shop.

Our Moving Mountains evening on 23rd March provides the opportunity to view and buy fairly traded Nepalese products, hear more about these initiatives, and to ask Laura and Sue about Nepal, its people and their work to improve quality of life for the most disadvantaged in Nepalese society.