Rug brand Nanimarquina has marked the 21st anniversary of collaborating with Care & Fair, working together against child labour and contributing with local community projects to improve living conditions of the artisan rug makers.
‘Right from the start, in Nanimarquina we knew that we should aim to improve the living conditions of the artisan community with which we collaborate, while also working towards the abolition of child labour. In this context, we started to collaborate with Care & Fair in 2002, the global association of the European Carpet Trade against child labour, founded by socially committed rug merchants,’ says Nani Marquina, company founder.
‘Since being members, we financially support the association’s initiatives focusing on abolishing illegal child labour thanks to the creation of nine schools near the weavers’ residential areas and improving the living conditions of families by building a medical dispensary in the area that treats 60,000 patients a year.
‘One of our first actions with Care & Fair was the launching of the Kala rug. Kala means “tomorrow” and “art” in Hindi and lends its name to a collection that unites Indian culture, and design through the eyes of children, the future. Created from original drawings by the students of the Care & Fair charity schools in India, €150 is donated from each rug sold to the Amita school in Bhadohi, directed by the same organisation.
‘Nowadays, it also has a women’s empowerment division that provides programs to help women acquire basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and hygiene. It gives them the opportunity to learn, sew and embroider, skills that allow them to make and sell clothes, thus contributing to their own livelihood.’
