Asha Handicrafts have been practising Fair Trade since 1975, even before the concepts of Fair Trade became popular abroad. Asha means "hope" in Sanskrit.

Thousands of artisans and producer groups depend on Asha Handicrafts for assistance throughout India: from carpet weavers and paper mache makers in Kashmir, the Northern most part of India, to Kalamkari artisans of Andhra Pradesh in South India, to leather workers of Calcutta in the East, to tribal women of Gujarat in the West doing their ethnic embroidery on cotton, to the many other wood workers, brass workers, weavers, silver smiths etc. located all over different parts of India.

Asha Handicrafts, an Alternative Trading Organisation, are helping to spread the concepts and benefits of Fair Trading in India and abroad. As a not-for-profit making body, Asha Handicrafts endeavours to ensure that the benefits of handicraft production reach the craftspeople themselves.

Smaller scale handicraft producers are disadvantaged because they lack financial awareness and knowledge of promotional and management skills. By purchasing directly from artisan groups and offering advance payments on orders, Asha tries to increase the income levels of producer groups and artisans and prevent them from accumulating long-term debts. Asha's contributions have presented artisans with an opportunity to improve their standards, helping them feed their families and continue with their livelihoods, the tradition of crafts.

Asha Handicrafts provide Shared Earth with a range of jewellery, accessories like bags and purses with a large variety of designs and homeware products.

WFTO - Guaranteed Fair Trade member