“Jewels” Glass Bead Bracelet

Artisan Story
Mohammad Talib started his business in 2001 when he decided to venture out on his own and make something of himself. Coming from a family of artisans, he was trained in the art by his father and continued in his footsteps.

Talib’s speciality is jewelry. He makes his unique jewelry out of glass beads, bone and horn. Talib feels that artisans like him have the ability to create something out of nothing.

He initially faced a number of problems and had to juggle between work and schooling, something he is glad his
children do not have to do. Moreover, he was not paid on time or in regular instalments. These were major concerns for him and he knew he had to resolve them to move forward. This is when Talib heard of Asha through other artisans in his area.

He found immense differences in the way Asha treated and dealt with him. Other customers were only concerned with their orders. Asha, in his words, was concerned with “what we wore” and “where we stayed” and “how we worked”. He feels that he has come a long way on account of his association with Asha. He increased his knowledge of business and market know-how and the shift to become much more customer oriented.

Talib feels that his artisans are better off on account of Fair Trade: their children are educated, living conditions and homes have improved, cooking gas has been provided to them, and better toilet facilities have been built.

In his time with Asha, Talib has seen his business increase and feels that his relationship with Asha has also grown stronger. His two children, a boy and a girl, have received access to education and Talib appreciates that he is able to educate them. He constantly tries to address the needs of his artisans and has expanded the size of his workshop to accommodate more artisans.