Fair Trade is more than just paying fair wages. It is a commitment to developing long-term relationships with partner artisans.

At Handmade Expressions, it is our mission to help partner artisans achieve sustainable development by supporting projects that improve education, health care, water, and energy resources in their community. These are essential needs that must be met in order to continuously develop. 

Below are some of the projects we have worked on. With your order of $500 or more, we will contribute 1% of the order value to a project of your choice. We are always interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas to improve the lives of our partner artisans. Check out our past development projects to see how Fair Trade has already changed the lives of thousands of artisans and their families.

Solar Panel Project completed! 

In April 2011, as a community development initiative, Handmade Expressions contributed $6,000 to purchase and install 100 solar lamps throughout 4 villages in the desert region of Rajasthan. The women artisans who benefited from the project work with our partner NGO. This region is very remote with little access to electricity. Handmade Expresions recognized the livelihood issues regarding the lack of electricity and the health hazards of kerosene lamps currently used in the villages. 

In order to provide better well being, Handmade Expressions arranged for efficient solar lamps to be installed in the homes. Women from the region were included in the decision- making process and trained on how to use solar lamps. They were very excited about the new opportunities the lamps provided for their families and community. Now, women will be able to earn extra money working after sunset and children will be able to finish their schoolwork. This will also reduce household expenses as they will no longer have to purchase kerosene lamps. 

Here is a visual summary of our projects for 2010 and how they are doing with your support:

Handmade Expressions is working with over 500 artisans across India. Many lack access to potable water, electricity, and other basic services. Their villages are sometimes in hostile environments-such as deserts and  far away from metropolitan areas. A major challenge of living in a remote location is the lack of health care facilities.

Our goal is to provide this basic need to all of our artisans and their families. We are currently working in association with an organization called “Craft Resource Center” to achieve this basic health care development. Our program focuses on granting artisans access to health care units usually reserved for government employees.

The cost to insure one artisan for one year with basic health care is around $5.00. In addition, we want to provide free eye-care check ups for an additional $4.00. This means that for $100.00 we can give 20 of our artisans basic health insurance plus eye care for one year.

Currently we have raised 72% of our Health Insurance goal, providing health insurance to 575 artisans. We have also raised 42% of our Eye Care goal, providing eye checkups and glasses, if necessary, to 210 artisans.

Solar Panels Illuminate Desert Villages
Meeting the energy needs of rural, desert villages

The artisan group that creates all of our appliqued products is scattered throughout several desert villages, far away from cities. Living away from modern infrastructure is challenging because there are no energy plants or cables for distributing energy nearby. This means that our artisans in these areas have no access to electricity.

Providing a household with electricity will greatly improve the artisans’ families quality of life. Children can study at night, mothers can cook, and everyone won’t have to wander in the dark anymore.