Mata Traders strives to create hip and affordable fair trade styles that compete with mainstream brands whilst giving women sustainable futures. Mata Traders works with women’s co-operatives in India and Nepal providing sustainable income to women living at the poverty level. Whether a beginner sewer or the marketing director of a co-op, all the women that make the jewelry, accessories and clothing have a real voice. Mata Traders is pleased to be part of that voice by bringing their quality handiwork to the USA in a high fashion, fairly traded product line.
Giving women economic power and viable working skills can transform a community and is the surest way to combat poverty. Living wages, good working conditions and no assembly line production characterizes Mata Traders products. India as a whole is not a society that encourages social mobility. Economic brackets are enforced by caste lines and, like most industrializing nations, the poverty class is growing as the rural poor migrate from villages to mega-cities to find new kinds of work. The opportunities for economic advancement that fair trade organizations offer to women in poverty are truly a rarity. Being part of the fair trade community by buying these products means that you too are connected to this positive change.
Clothing & Bags
Mata Traders works with women’s co-operatives in India and Nepal that together employ over 600 women in economically disadvantaged situations. These groups are democratically structured and provide tangible, but sadly unusual, benefits such as childcare, annual medical checks, overtime pay and retirement plans. Women members come form rural tribal or urban slum areas and have little/no work skills when they join the co-ops. All are existing below the poverty line and work to earn extra income for their families. Every step in the production process is completely managed by women for women, and this enables many to become socially and politically active in their communities.
The cotton used in the clothing and bags is fair trade certified and produced on small family farms following environmental standards restricting the use of agro-chemicals and encouraging sustainability.
Many of the fabrics used are traditionally block-printed using methods that go back to the 12th century. These methods, and the livelihoods in this sector, are under great threat since the advent of cheaper factory-made fabrics. Many block-printers have found themselves out of work and have been forced to turn to other more menial forms of work to support their families, or to migrate to the growing slums. The artisan skills that have been passed on for generations are becoming lost. Mata Traders works with communities of traditional fabric producers helping to sustain both the communities and the skills. The fabrics are hand-made and unique, containing a history and preserving an art.
Jewelry & Accessories
Mata Traders’ jewelry is produced by a fair trade organization in India that creates avenues of employment for economically disadvantaged artisans and craftspeople in the home-based sector. The whole process, from bead making to stringing and creation of jewelry, is non exploitative and follows stringent health and safety standards, together with a strong commitment to combating child labor in this sector.
Benefits kids
Every year thousands of kids migrate to mega-cities within India looking for work so that they can send money back to their families. Providing income to women at the poverty level is key to combating the problem of child labor at its roots. The change can be seen, not only in the lives of the employed women, but especially in the next generation and the children that the women can afford to support and educate.
Individual Story: Ms. Sunita
Sunita is one of our artisans in southeast Delhi, who was a victim of the unorganized and unfair trade conditions, particularly targeting women, prior to working with Mata Traders. She used to earn 20-30 rupees per day doing embroidery work and could not protest this treatment because she was not aware of her social rights. Now, thanks to partnering with Mata Traders, Sunita now has dignity and confidence.
Mata Traders has provided Sunita with a better workplace, training in jewelry-making, self help groups, medical insurance, and wages from 3800-8000 rupees per month.
Sunita says, “I am surprised to realize that trade can be human. I am happy to be part of Fair Trade. It made me and others confident in many ways. We have learnt to say what we feel [...] Fair Trade brought light in our lives”.
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