At Ten Thousand Villages we have artisan partners who are affected, they are in some ways part of our extended family; for with us and many other Fair Trade organizations, Fair Trade is different … we talk a lot about paying a fair wage but in the wake of a natural disaster like this, the other aspects of Fair Trade can really be seen. Bunyaad, the artisan group supplying us with rugs, includes more than 820 families in 100 villages around Lahore, Pakistan; they have implemented a support plan to assist artisans with rebuilding some vital needs, such as food and lost wages. With the rugs on looms in these regions, damage will be covered by the artisan group and assistance will be given to the family once they are back in their homes to help them get back to work quickly. Village supervisors in this region along with Bunyaad’s staff will quickly help to replace looms that have been lost in the flood. You can read about this by linking to copies of reports from Ten Thousand Villages Rug Program Director, Yousaf Chaman … Read more ...
Many of you will remember that earlier this year Ten Thousand Villages Windsor held their annual Rug Event; we do not presently have rugs in our store, but rugs are available from our warehouse and if you are considering buying a rug, we invite you to consider buying your rug from Ten Thousand Villages, our prices are very reasonable and the quality is excellent. You may have read in one of Yousaf’s reports: … Nasir said: “Tell them to buy a rug. The more we can get our artisans back to work and keep them working full-time on the loom, the greater hopes these artisans have for rebuilding their communities and their lives.”
There are 444 rugs in the Canadian inventory stock … remember, we are a non-profit organization, primarily staffed by dedicated volunteers … our founding parent is Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which has already responded to the disaster. We want to contribute to assist our artisan partners, so, if you drop into our store, we will help you navigate the Canadian Inventory list, so that you can select the size and type of rug you would like, and also see the patterns available. Our manager will explain about the arrangements for shipping and your approval process.
Before you search our online Canadian Inventory List take a moment to check out the links below. They will provide detailed information to help you as you browse. Additionally we have a list of answers to our most frequently asked customer questions.
Please keep the people of Pakistan in your thoughts and prayers as they struggle for their existence.
