Dear friends,
In recent times over the last few years we, as an organization, have been entering into different phases of challenges. As we mark 30 years of our existence in reaching out to the artisans, and in reviewing the three decades of our impact on their lives, there is still a void and clarion call to reach out to more.
No doubt, we have been more focused in the years gone by, in terms of our business, fair trade and social activities, and have achieved appreciable growth rates, but there is that yearning to go that extra mile for fair trade.
On 31st March 2005, our 3-year strategic plan came to an end and, as a team, we are focusing on the next 3 years ending 2008 with benchmarks as to what we want to achieve in every sphere of our work. The dawn of 2006 looks fairly promising! The artisan and his well-being are dear to our heart.
Reports reveal that India is galloping ahead and significant bends point out to the road ahead, whether it be manufacturing, the rising soft power of India and China, the return of big governments, the emergence of the Indian multinationals, the soaring stock market, the global textile trade, and I can go on and on; yet poverty continues to grow at an alarming rate with the rich getting richer, and the poor, poorer, but the heart of Asha’s endeavours is to continue impacting the artisan segment of our society. |
