Manushi
Organization Details
Manushi is a Fair Trade Guaranteed Organization that follows a social business platform grounded with the objectives of improving the socio and economic conditions of low income people, especially women through Fair Trade.
While focusing on women’s economic empowerment we have spent considerable effort in making successful results.
Manushi also encourages partnership, collaboration, and joint action at local and national and international levels between NGOs and community groups working in the environment and development sectors, and works to strengthen existing networks to enhance and highlight women's roles in sustainable development. Our organization’s management and skills training, programs on entrepreneurship development, micro-credit for women, health and environment training, and gender empowerment directly impact women's empowerment and community development. Manushi is a founding member of Fair Trade Group Nepal.
Impact Story
With the underlying mission of empowering marginalized women in Nepal to raise their social and economic status, Manushi started with a focus on providing women with handicraft skill development through workshops and training. However, due to common issues such as illiteracy and lack of income, it became clear that the women were unable to effectively utilize these skills to run and grow a business. In 1993, Manushi started its own production program to address this issue and provide women with opportunities to gain skills and employment. Tie and dye became the signature product and as Manushi learned to navigate the market, many of the board members used their own personal income to ensure a fair wage to the 15 in-house producers Manushi had at the time. In time, Manushi’s production program grew and became self-sustainable, allowing the organization to expand its scope of support to include a micro-credit program, the development and fostering of national and global partnerships and other community-based programs for girls and women. In Micro Credit Program Manushi has more than 25000 women members.
As a founding member of Fair Trade Group Nepal and a guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), Manushi has become a fair trade leader in Nepal that works to place women at the centre of the country’s development.