Article on the World Fair Trade Organisation WFTO website about one of our producer groups Kumbeshwar Technical School who handknit all our banana yarn scarves and accessories
http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1898&Itemid=314
Article as found on WFTO website:
“Equal Opportunity for All” at the Kumbeshwar Technical School (KTS), Nepal
| 13 February 2013 | |
| The history of Kumbeshwar Technical School (KTS) and its relationship with the local community dates back to 1983 when Siddhi Bahadur Khadgi, Founder Chairman, discovered a certain group of people living in unhealthy and poor conditions on the north side of the Kumbeshwar temple in Patan, Nepal. Referred to as the untouchables or “Podee” in Nepali, they were classified under the lowest ranking caste, also known as Sudra. Due to such social discrimination, they were often shunned and considered as bad luck by the general population. Their role in the community is to clean the streets of Patan before dawn when people are still asleep. It is believed that any person who caught a glimpse of the “Podees” would face immediate bad luck. Fellow country man Kiran Khadgi was eager to help this marginalized group. Khadgi studied how to work with “podees” in order to help them. He and his family took the challenge by first establishing a day care center for children and offering them washing facilities, clothes and food. Their work was soon appreciated and supported by the Douglas Memorial Old Missionary Evangelism, who helped the family organize a 6-month adult literacy program. Following the adult literacy program, the adults were asked about what they would like to be taught as a life-skill. Their unanimous decision was to learn hand knitting and carpet weaving. Therefore, the Khadgi family opened the doors of their home, which served as a training center. With help from foreign volunteers, they started to develop design and partnerships with Fair Trade Organizations and export their handicrafts in 1985. Please see link to read rest of the article... |
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