Started 25 years ago in New Delhi by a group of North American expatriate wives, MESH ― or Maximizing Employment to Serve the Handicapped ― provides opportunities for disabled people and their dependents, especially those affected by leprosy, to be rehabilitated in order to become self-sufficient. MESH's founders focused their initial efforts on a leprosy colony north of Delhi, where they encouraged people to
weave and raise poultry. Today, MESH buys and sells handicrafts from some 54 autonomous groups of disabled and leprosy-affected persons all over the country. They provide market assistance, product development and training to artisans and operate a large retail store of fair trade products sourced from the different groups. The store is filled with jewelry, fashion bags and accessories, clothing, bedspreads, cushion covers, tablecloths, papiermâché products and more. They also have a design studio for conducting regula
r workshops and trainings for product development with their artisans. MESH has now started a two year project to help implement the Fair Wage Project in collaboration with World of Good. The project looks at the inputs the artisans are making and evaluating their production to ensure their earning enough to get out of poverty. The organization is strong and well-established with a large market presence overseas. Many of their products are sold through Ten Thousand Villages, as well.
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