Fair Trade from Godavari, India
Barb's trip to NEED | see also Mahaguthi | News
Godavari is a women's producer group based in Narsapur on the banks of the Godavari Delta. Their specialism is lace making and they are adapting their traditional craft to more modern designs to support the women and children who rely on this cooperative to earn a living. New items we hope to bring on stream are cotton and lace mix women's blouses.
Mrs Hemalatha started the group as she was so frustrated with being exploited by middle men and through her hard work she persuaded women in 30 villages to form a society, even going on hunger strike to gain recognition for independent status.This was achieved on May 19th 1979 and the first order was from Trade Aid in New Zealand in 1983. Now they number around 1,000.
The Godavari region is plagued with frequent natural disasters: cyclones, gales, floods, heavy rains and also occasional tidal waves.
Infrastructure is minimal. Barb contacts this group by fax or post since they do not have email and their next project is to raise funds to build a shelter for the women to work together in whilst sheltering from the elements.
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My December 2005 trip to Godavari, India
by Barbara Wilson
Barb's trip to NEED | see also Mahaguthi
As I touched down in Mumbai airport I was appalled to see the shanty dwellings round the perimeter fence. I thought my allotment shed was bad but it looks pretty good compared to these flimsy houses - plastic over wooden poles, an entire tarpaulin a good example, with assorted scraps at the other end of the spectrum, and the whole covered in dust. I wondered why the government hadn't built a series of low cost housing. Areas of Mumbai have some of the most expensive real estate in the world.
The welcome from Godavari was wonderful and the 36 hour train journey melted away as I met the team of lace making women who come to the main workshop every day. Although I'm about a size 10 and average height, I was huge in comparison to these lovely ladies in their bright saris and bare feet.
I was here to work out how they were cutting patterns for the cotton and lace mix blouses and if they had encountered that rare and elusive species - the bust dart. It turns out that their tailor was incredibly talented and so we set about developing some new designs and of course he knew more about bust darts than I did but the concept of a basic block pattern that one could adapt seemed new. And luckily, there were enough people whose English was good to be able to communicate well, since my Hindi is virtually non-existent and my Telugu, the local dialect, equally poor.
Godavari support around 1,000 lace artisans and we went to four of the 40 villages in Andhra Pradesh where the cooperative has members. Traditionally women, especially widows, have a terrible time in India and rely on their families to support them financially. Naturally this is pretty precarious and so lacemaking helps them secure an income. The villages looked incredibly picturesque, especially the one in the middle of a coconut grove, but life here is hard and for most people all about securing the basics. But one of the things that struck me was how much everyone laughed. They also loved having their photo taken.
The women producers could choose to work together outside a central house or work in their own homes. Shrinu, from the main workshop, would bring an collect orders and I saw some of the things I ordered being made, which was really interesting.
Agriculturally this area is very productive but land is disproportionately expensive - from £2,000 to £8,000 per acre depending on soil fertility and proximity to the road. And with agricultural labourers' wages at $2 per day for a man and $1.50 for a woman, with only part-time work, it's easy to see how hard it is to manage, never mind get out of the poverty trap. Labourers only get work at busy times of the year, planting and harvest being the best. I only saw men working in the fields. And with such a big population - now 1.2 billion - and no welfare net, full employment is essential.
Coconut trees are a boon. Fortunately, there are thousands of coconut trees in central and south India and many families will have three or four in a garden. So, as they ripen year round, they contribute helpfully to the diet. Some of the houses had water buffalo and communal wells and milk can be a valuable source of protein in a vegetarian Hindu diet.
Godavari had a lovely Christmas celebration. The lacemakers have a yearly eye check as lacemaking can be fine work and the group buy glasses for those that need them. The celebration is also a chance to distribute saris and blankets to those who need them, last year several were hit by the tsunami and others this year by a cyclone. Godavari also gave to people outside their community and I was impressed by the number of projects they contributed to. In fact, in my week here I met many incredibly generous people who were practically working in all sorts of ways to improve the lives of the poor.
In the speech they asked me to give at the Christmas celebration I promised to try and get them some more orders since fair trade only works when the orders come in regularly. But their skills are wonderful and I'm convinced people want to buy lovely, handmade things so here we go.
