Aakriti Arts workshop, Delhi
As Oxfam Ireland’s Fair Trade Manager, I am lucky enough to be able to visit some of our artisan partners. In June I visited several producers in India.
India in June was hot – 47 degrees hot. Everywhere I went in the heat artisans were working to complete orders – weaving, carving, painting, sewing. And everywhere I went the artisans were talking about how the global recession has affected their business; since people in America and Europe are buying less in these difficult economic times, producers are receiving smaller orders. Artisans in India and elsewhere are often paid by the piece, so smaller orders translates immediately into lower income. And that can mean less food on the table or not sending their children to school. And just as here, prices are rising too, putting additional strain on artisans and their families.
