Georgie and Alexandra have just returned from a fruitful trip to Myakka’s main suppliers in India. This the second trip of 2009 was essential to check on progress with the new furniture designs and the developments of fair trade community projects set in motion during the trip back in February.
Regular readers of the Myakka News Blog will be familiar with SKSN School, the support we provide and the projects currently underway. The Vocational Training Centre that Myakka helped setup earlier this year provides the children leaving SKSN School with work in fair trade conditions. Initially setup to supply Myakka’s exclusive silk cushions and linen cushions ranges the output from the Centre now includes clothing and accessories which are sold locally. Georgie and Alexandra’s latest designs had been made into samples ready to be signed off during their visit. “We were happy with the samples and purchased enough fabric for the production of the two new cushion ranges which are due in the UK in early 2010”, commented Alexandra.
Georgie also purchased two new hand-operated sewing machines, to add to the six pedal-operated and two existing hand-operated machines at the Centre. The new sewing machines will allow the Centre to fulfil the increased demand and be suitable for students with lower limb disabilities.
There have also been other developments at the school with the expansion of the teacher training college which now has over 90 students and has been acknowledged by the state of Rajasthan for its outstanding teaching quality. This section of SKSN now provides a modest income which helps towards the school running costs. Two graduates were originally SKSN pupils who are now employed as teachers at SKSN.
Following the trip in February Georgie and Simon, Myakka’s directors, paid for the materials for new desks and benches to be made for the school children. These were delivered for the start of the new school year in July. “The new desks and benches looked great and were clearly very much appreciated by both the teachers and the children”, commented Georgie.
On every trip the team like to arrive with practical gifts and had been tipped off the SKSN School kitchen required a new cooking pot and some utensils. As you can see from the picture below Georgie has clearly found one of the largest pots ever on her trip to the local ‘pot shop’. After all the pot will need to help cater for 550 growing children!
Please select this link to read up on the previous India trip back in February: Myakka Blog Articles: Spring India Trip
