These students are among more than 3,600 children GoodWeave has rescued from carpet work and provided freedom and education. These opportunities are often the first chance they have at shaping their own future.
Born into a family too poor to afford school fees, Uma dropped out of the second grade in 1999. GoodWeave identified her as at risk for entering the workforce and facilitated her long-term educational scholarship.
Rescued child weavers in Nepal catch up on years of lost learning at Hamro Ghar, GoodWeave’s residential rehabilitation center. Children receive counseling and other critical services, in addition to full room and board and a comprehensive accelerated learning program.
GoodWeave], because my background is focused on proving a personal view that you could help low-end producers and improve worker’s rights by educating consumers and creating a demand for ethically-made products. What appealed to me about GoodWeave was the really focused mission on ending child labor
in a specific industry, and the fact that you could create a model to go beyond and yet work deeply in one market,” said Smith. While changing the market is the most important part of GoodWeave’s mission, the organization is accomplishing its goal of ending child carpet labor through a three-pronged approach of regular inspections, rescue and education, and a consumer awareness campaign. “When businesses join forces with us and begin to certify their products, it kicks everything into motion. It enables us to inspect the production sites where their rugs are made, and we can physically enter the premises and see what’s happening,” said Smith. Through frequent inspections, GoodWeave monitors rug companies in Nepal, India, and now Afghanistan to make sure they are following guidelines. From there, they can effectively stop children from working at looms (although there is no political mandate, merely the companies’ decree.) GoodWeave companies are given specific certification labels ensuring child labor was not used to make the carpet. Such companies include Macy’s, Lapchi, Company C, and Creative Matters. Retailers and showrooms not only provide financial support, but they help educate customers on the importance of purchasing a GoodWeave rug. Nearly 1,000 retailers carry 90 GoodWeaveMay/June 2012
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