Turn your Christmas tree into the animal kingdom with this handsome sea mammal!
Hand-felted with cute beaded eyes and stitched detailing!
Artisan information:
In the village of Kirtipur, Nepal, one brave woman aspired to educate her children and bring her family out of poverty. Her hard work and vision and her partnership with a Fair Trade organization changed her life, the life of her family & the lives of 60 other families in her village.
Laxmi Maharjan is a traditional weaver who never went to school but dreamed of sending her children to school. Raised in a culture that never allowed her to handle or control any of the money made from her craft, she understood that to be able to send her kids to school and pull her family out of poverty she needed to control the money from her work. In 1984 she discovered a Nepalese fair trade organization, The Association for Craft Producers (ACP), which would pay her directly for her work and help her set up a savings account. Now more than 30 years later her daughter and 2 sons have college educations and Laxmi has organized 60 other traditional women weavers in her village to understand fair trade and receive their earnings directly as well! Her work & leadership have transformed their lives and their culture!
