About the charity...
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We are supporting Dhar, a tiny, remote village in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh where inhabitant’s hand-weave and spin sheep wool into the finest embroidered fabrics. With the increase of sweatshops and international clothing demand, the people of Dhar are rapidly losing their jobs to the fast production turnaround in the cities. Urbanisation has risen dramatically in the past decade, to mitigate the strains that will develop as cities expand; slum growth, pollution, sweatshops and poverty, we want to help preserve these traditional techniques and encourage local, traditional craftsmanship. Our social responsibility is fair pay and improving living conditions for all artisans and farmers involved, especially women empowerment. We want to encourage the rural way of life and the genius of tradition in this village through direct trade and intelligent sustainability, ultimately helping to reduce the transformation of an urban materialized culture.
Om Prakash Malhotra and Jazzy the village chief
Aim...
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Om Prakash Malhotra, our Indian associate, has dedicated his life to promoting the traditional skills of local communities in this region. We are aiming to work with suppliers and local rural farming communities in Himachel Pradesh to bring a fine range of high quality handloom sheep, yak wool and pure silk products to buyers here in the UK!
The preparation...
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The preparation of wool, silk, cotton, hemp, and yak fibers, natural dying, weaving, cutting, stitching and embroidery continue today as they have for centuries, but they come under threat to the rapid growth of sweatshops in cities. In these Himalayan regions, textiles and weavings hold a central place in the homes, hearts and spirits of these villagers. With the threat to rural life, these ancient civilizations and traditional techniques will soon disappear.
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Om Prakash Malhotra
Our main objective...
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Our objective is to support weaving villages and keep this tradition alive by donating money for loom repairs, equipment and livestock, but more importantly buying their products! For more information about buying these products, please get in touch via email.
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The Magic of the village...
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One evening there is a crazy storm, followed by a huge full moon! Just before sunset, as the storm is brewing, all the cotton is blown off the trees in a huge gust of wind. All the kids run down to the mountain edge and whoop, whistle, sing and dance. This moment is one I think neither of us will ever forget and we are so grateful for the very special time we had in Dhar. Devoid of materialistic modernities, the simple charm of this unspoilt village runs off a magical energy which is unforgettable, hence why we want to support it. We hope you can see the importance of supporting the local traditions of villages like these and are hugely thankful for any donations.
Hamsa