I’ve rented my first bus! A huge great thing – the size of a sea tanker, it barely fitted in the street in front of our guesthouse in Dhaka to take the People Tree team and guests to visit Thanapara village, Swallows in Bangladesh. When it got going it moved like a bouncy metal spring bed mattress and a wobbly castle! After 5 very bumpy hours we arrived in the village paradise that is Swallows, near the Ganges river.
Left: Rika and I talking to Raihan at Swallows, Right: Swallows women tailoring the Emma Watson handwoven checked shirt.
Swallows products from our main range and Emma Watson Spring Summer collections
Rika Sueyoshi and her father, both TV presenters from Japan accompanied me to report on the impact Fair Trade makes to women’s lives.
Thanapara Swallows is my favorite place in the world! When I am feeling down, I think of the beauty of this village and I feel joyous again – such is the power of Swallows and its people.
Rika loved the Swallows school for 280 children, supported by Fair Trade
We opened a dedicated sample room at Swallows – up until now samples had gone walkies – so this will really help us expand. We hope to employ another 50 young women at Swallows in embroidery and tailoring in the next year, now the beautiful new handicraft centre is open.
Safia and Suraiya working together on handicraft designs for 2011
A stage was being built in the middle of the school playground… a lot if people were gathering… then there it was. They asked me up to the stage to award me and the People Tree team with a 5 kilo, Fair Trade, carved brass singing bowl. “The Bangladesh Fair Trade textile groups award you, People Tree as the biggest contributor to Bangladeshi Fair Trade textile groups,” all People Tree’s partners announced in front of 700 villagers. There were dances and plays afterwards to raise awareness of the dangers of child marriages.
The beautiful Fair Trade singing bowl
I felt so embarrassed and shy and sat on the end of the stage…why don’t they tell you in advance so you can think of something appropriate to say?
Safia received the singing bowl for People Tree's support of Fair Trade in Bangladesh.
I took photos of Rika and she looked gorgeous for an article in a Japanese magazine. I am off to Nepal now so wait for my report from Kathmandu.
Safia and Peolpe Tree,
It warms my whole heart to read this report. I spent two wonderful months in Thanapara 2005 and visited once again in 2006. I had the privilege to meet Safia, very shortly and I have been a big admirer ever since. Thanapara will allways be in my heart thanks to its incredibly warm and loving people and Im still in contact with them. I wish you all the best of luck with what you are doing!
Best regards
Jessica Jonsson
You are an inspiration. You show what can be done and have moved me to get my act together and turn my dreams into reality. You are shining a light and showing the possibilities.
God Bless you.