MESH Annual Report 2008-09

MESH ANNUAL REPORT 2008-09




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GENDER EQUITY
The focus of this Annual Report is of course the details of what we have achieved during the year in the fulfilling of our mission. In addition there is an underlying theme of gender equity which is one of the ten standards of Fair Trade that MESH strives to follow. We believe that gender equity in Fair Trade means that women’s work is properly valued and rewarded which is only possible if women know the value of their work and also if they have the means to grow and manage their own affairs.

70 % of MESH suppliers are women. Of the 46 groups that supplied MESH last year 11 are all women groups.

Trading For Rehabilitation
Marketing













MESH exports products to fair trade organisations around the world, sells wholesale to businesses and organisations around India and retails from two shops, one in Delhi and the other in Hyderabad.

































Suppliers

All the products are made by autonomous groups of disabled or leprosy affected artisans from around India. (see list overleaf)

The core suppliers to MESH are 18 institutions/rehabilitation centres; 11 self settled leprosy communities, 13 self help groups of disabled crafts people and 4 individual crafts people employing a total of approximately 2000 people. All artisans need regular sustained orders so as to maintain
some level of economic security. That is possible with the provision of a range of services by MESH that includes product development, quality assurance, and capacity building to manage their businesses and 50% advance payment for orders where possible.

In 2008-09 MESH bought from 46 groups in total; From 19 groups more than Rs. 100,000 worth of goods from another 10 groups products valued at between Rs.50,000 and Rs. 100,000.



The group selling the most products to MESH during the year was Blue Mango, an all women’s group in Tamil Nadu specialising in jewellery. Their sales to MESH were for Rs.2,617,586. Their success can be attributed to strong in-house designs and very hard work.













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Sustainability

The most sustainable new product is urn bags for sale to crematoriums in Canada. The bags are made by the members of Jone Pryadarshini Mahila Mandal, a women’s group in Bethany leprosy Colony. The members first shared the work for the orders equally amongst those women who can sew and who own a sewing machine. This year MESH provided funds for them to buy five sewing machines so that other women can sew too. The leaders, who are all people directly affected by leprosy learned how to source their own raw materials from the big city and how to pack and despatch the goods themselves. The product type is sustainable and as the women develop their business skills sustainability will increase.


























Buyers
The Fair Trade movement in Europe and North America is strong and supportive of our work. MESH sold to 12 export customers in 6 countries who sell on through Fair Trade shops or mail order catalogues. One commercial buyer in Canada sells specialist items from MESH to crematorium.

MESH sold wholesale to seven commercial businesses in India and three organisations as well as at outdoor sales in multinational companies.

In March a MESH designer produced our first soft catalogue which MESH’s Handloom Co-ordinator took with him when he travelled to Europe and North America to meet buyers and promote MESH products.


















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Fair Price
Two young trainees from the communities that supply MESH were recruited in 2008 to take an online tool to 20 artisan groups that supply MESH. The Fair Trade Wage Guide (FTWG) has been demonstrated to 15 groups in the year and on each visit the artisans have been assisted to re-cost their products with a higher wage component based on the findings after feeding their data into the wage guide. As a result four groups have increased their wage rates at least for export orders this year.

Ella Silverman from World of Good visited four of the groups exposed to the Wage Guide with field workers and noted the way the various groups have used the tool.


























The Fair Trade Wage Guide (www.worldofgood.org) lists four parameters against which artisans can measure their income

• NON-POVERTY WAGE
  The Non-Poverty Wage Indicator is a calculation is based on the US non-poverty rate of $7.74/hour.
• MINIMUM WAGE
  Minimum wages set by the government in each region.
• THE ACUMEN POVERTY LINE
  "The Acumen Poverty Fund, a global non-profit fund,based on $4 per. In many of the poorest countries, paying above $4 per day will have a significant impact on people living in poverty."
• ABSOLUTE POVERTY LINE
  "The World Bank created international poverty line defined here as, $2"

Capacity building
During the year we identified that some of MESH supplier groups needed training in preparing and meeting delivery schedules and also in managing quality control. In January a programme of meetings was arranged in Tamil Nadu which were led by Mathew from MESH. Bringing together groups with similar crafts he trained in batches providing 11 hours of training to 40 artisans from 7 small self help groups. Most of those artisans are not used to working to time schedules and are unaware of the issues of quality when selling for export or to an urban market.

In November the Executive Secretary conducted a short toy safety workshop in Hubli Hospital for The Handicapped Rehabilitation Unit (HHH RTU). Participants from Hubli were joined by two women from Prowess, a toy making group in Tamil Nadu. Toys were tested for their ability to withstand stress, their fire risk and for small parts which might be dangerous. There were also discussions about EU regulations for labelling. Several toys were modified immediately after testing in order to make them safer.









Design Studio
It is significant that the two best selling supplier groups this year are both very strong at designing products and offering something new very often. Recognising the demand for new products IM Soir, Sweden agreed to provide funding to MESH to run a Design Studio which was opened in February 2008. It employs two designers, an in-house weaver and has facilities for sewing weaving, bamboo/wood work, beading etc.

The designers conduct workshops for artisans in the studio or in the artisan’s places of work, or they provide distance design support.
New products, new techniques and new raw materials are introduced so as to extend the product ranges of the artisans thereby increasing the likelihood of regular orders.

In addition artisans have been shown how to present their samples better and how to keep systematic records of developed products. So the focus is not only on products but includes production, management and presentation skills enhancement.


For every design activity there is a sub-focus of gender equity, the environment and human rights. In all mixed groups equal numbers of men and women are invited to be part of Design Studio programmes. In many cases women have left their work places and traveled to Delhi where they have stayed in hostels and taken an active part in the studio workshops for the first time.











Design Studio Statistics

• 54 artisans from 10 groups with a combined work force of 200 people have worked with the designers.
• 364 products developed
• 60 have been ordered by international buyers before the launch of the catalogue
• 85 handloom designs have been developed for 4 groups of weavers working in leprosy colonies
• One soft catalogue of 434 products developed
• 1 photography workshop conducted for 6 groups

The Environment
MESH has collaborated with suppliers and IMEX in the gathering and sharing of data on health, safety and environmental issues especially in relation to pigments and dyes.

Promoting Fair Trade
MESH partnered with Fair Trade Forum India in a project called Fair Trade Plus which has seen one of our staff being extensively trained in how to promote fair trade as a viable means of working for producers who are not yet following Fair Trade principles. Subsequently Mathew has conducted eight programmes with new groups and other trainers in the project have conducted Fair Trade workshops with three of MESH’s supplier groups.
The training methodology is being applied for other capacity-building programmes with MESH suppliers.

MESH staff were invited to speak about Fair Trade, in Sweden at IM Soir staff workshop in June and at a leading Delhi business school and Delhi University colleges.

Trade Relations
Of the 46 groups that MESH bought from in 2008-09 nine have been associated with MESH for more than 20 years; six others for more than 10 years and 13 others for more than five years. Sustained trading relations with a commitment to see groups maintain there business is a feature of our work. There were ten groups that we bought from in last year and not in 2008-09 because two no longer employ disabled people; one leprosy group has lost their work space; another works with spices which we were unable to sell; three groups continue to sell independently and also to MESH beyond the reporting period.

Purchases from MESH Suppliers 2008-09 & 2007-08
Group Name and Location	2008-09 Rupees	2007-08 Rupees
"Blue Mango AHM/Trust, Tamil Nadu"	" 2,617,586 "	" 1,713,172 "
"Kashmir Handicapped Co-op, Kashmir"	" 1,288,608 "	" 1,191,177 "
"PHTRC, Maharashtra"	" 1,071,740 "	" 1,378,340 "
"Bethany Colony Leprosy Association, A.P."	" 971,660 "	" 776,081 "
"Rehab. Training Unit, H.H.H., Karnataka"	" 725,047 "	" 629,029 "
"Little Flower Leprosy Colony, Bihar"	" 715,640 "	" 729,000 "
"KRTC, Tamil Nadu"	" 584,150 "	" 785,993 "
"Reaching the Unreached, Tamil Nadu"	" 432,150 "	" 539,241 "
Bharat Mata Kusht Ashram. Haryana	" 387,213 "	" 1,165,208 "
"St, Joseph's Leprosy Hospital, Karnataka"	" 375,300 "	" 575,490 "
"YIP, A.P."	" 319,200 "	" 59,845 "
"Helen Keller PCWS, Tamil Nadu"	" 283,375 "	" 103,550 "
"PROWESS, Tamil Nadu"	" 230,129 "	" 139,187 "
"Anand Mahila Mandal, delhi"	" 161,781 "	" 352,043 "
"Ashish Chand, W. Bengal"	" 149,281 "	" 14,514 "
"Sentamil PCWS, Tamil Nadu"	" 144,940 "	" 41,454 "
"TLM Vizianagaram, A.P."	" 135,000 "	" 169,500 "
"Florence Nightingale Group, Tamil Nadu"	" 120,304 "	" 33,848 "
"Jone Pryadarshini, Mahila Mandal, A.P."	" 102,600 "	" 168,250 "
"Narikuravargal PHCW, Tamil Nadu"	" 97,297 "	" 37,400 "
"Sartik Manav Kusht Ashram, Rajasthan"	" 97,180 "	" 66,920 "
"SILENCE, W. Bengal"	" 96,800 "	" 56,344 "
"KUKA, U.P."	" 95,268 "	" 428,734 "
"Murugan Ceramics, Tamil Nadu"	" 89,250 "	" 54,959 "
"Murugan tailor, Tamil Nadu"	" 73,050 "	-
"TLM Champa, Chattisgarh"	" 66,250 "	" 29,201 "
"Asha Kiran, U.P."	" 63,000 "	" 215,585 "
"SLR&TC, Tamil Nadu"	" 60,460 "	" 83,845 "
"NEASAM, Tamil Nadu"	" 50,640 "	" 61,685 "
"Kiran, U.P."	" 32,500 "	" 14,380 "
"Snehalaya, W.Bengal"	" 32,204 "	" 12,554 "
"Anandakumari, delhi"	" 29,955 "	" 24,335 "
"Pugazenthi, Tamil Nadu"	" 28,600 "	" 139,243 "

Chickens
MESH sold chickens raised by disabled people for 28 years. At the end of 2007-08 we were buying from just one colony and only one family was benefiting on a regular basis. Studies revealed that the cost of handling the chickens was way beyond the returns to the single family that remained as our suppliers. A decision was made to end the chicken business. We take this opportunity to thank all the people that raised chicken over the years in Bethany village; Amarjyoti Colony, Anandagram Colony and Bharat Mata Kusht Ashram. Thanks also to our many faithful customers over nearly three decades.

Donors
When buying products MESH pays the price worked out with the artisans, adds the cost of transport to MESH and then 15% to meet our running costs. Most routine running costs are met from that income but to run projects like the Design Studio and The Fair Wages Project MESH is still dependent on donations. We are most grateful for all the help provided by:

• Individuell Manniskohjalp, Sweden
• The Leprosy Mission International
• All Saints Church, UK
• The British Contact Group, India
• Business & Community Foundation, India
• Charity Aid Foundation, India

Thanks also to the very many people who support us with prayer