30 years of CARE & FAIR – Carpet Trade against Child Labour e.V.

A milestone in the fight against child labor and for a better future for weaver families.

CARE & FAIR e.V. was founded in September 1994 to keep children away from the weaving looms and to give them a better future through education and health

The beginnings of our organization fall into a time when all media in the early 1990s reported daily on the pressing problem of child labor. To counteract this, we opened schools and provided basic medical care for children and weaver families.

As early as 1995, we had the title of a professional association and founded CARE & FAIR in India, followed by Nepal in 1996
and Pakistan in 1997. At first we took over existing schools from exporters, but soon after, we began building our own schools
and clinics. In 1998, the school in Chaksikhari was opened, and in 2000 the Vern School in Pakistan followed, which was
inaugurated in 2001.

An important step in our work was the introduction of Women Empowerment Programs in our schools in 2001.
These programs strengthened the position of women in society and enabled older siblings and mothers of
schoolchildren to receive basic education as well as sewing and embroidery courses.

In 2005, the CARE & FAIR support association was founded as a non-profit organization in order to generate funds
from non-industry members and to be able to issue the required donation receipts. In 2008, we opened the Girls High School in Pakistan, and in 2009, computer classes were introduced in Indian schools. With the implementation of “Going Green,” our schools received solar systems to promote sustainable education.

In 2013/2014 we opened the first Girls High School in India, followed by a second in 2017, so that our girls could continue to go to school in their home environment.               

In April this year we were proud to open our tenth school. Today, more than 3,000 children and over 200 women attend our facilities. Our clinic currently treats around 25,000 patients per year, and all children in our projects are regularly examined by an employed doctor every four weeks. We also regularly carry out free eye and health examinations for the population.

Training events for our teachers are held several times a year.

On behalf of CARE & FAIR, we would like to thank our donors, members, board members and employees in Germany, India and Pakistan from the bottom of our hearts for their
tireless support over the past 30 years. You have made a decisive contribution to our mutual success. Thanks to your help, we have been able to realize numerous projects that have had a positive impact on the lives of many people. Your donations and contributions have enabled us to initiate and sustain important programs that promote education, health and social justice.

 

We are proud to have such a dedicated community of supporters who believe in
our mission and are ready to make a difference. Together we have accomplished
a lot over the past three decades, and we are confident that we can
continue to promote and support the children and their families in the
knotting areas as best we can and continue to make positive changes.

Thank you again for your support and trust in CARE & FAIR.

 

 

We look forward to the next few years of working together and achieving even more together.

 

CARE & FAIR has earned worldwide recognition and respect in the 30 years since it was founded.

Many years before the media campaign, individual importers had already shown commitment to the welfare of the knotting families they relied on. This is how the first project came about – with children taught under a tree in the Amita School.

It was THIS experience that was the key step towards building the first school. And other important projects would later follow.

Now for the “highlights” of CARE & FAIR’s 30 years of work:

 

1994

• A working group to combat child labour in the carpet industry was created.
• September: The CARE & FAIR – Teppichhandel gegen Kinderarbeit e. V. association is founded.

 1995

• CARE & FAIR is recognised as a professional association.
• August: CARE & FAIR India is founded.

 1996

• The first monetary aid is transferred to India.
• November: CARE & FAIR Nepal is founded.
• The first projects are supported in Nepal: the Jawalakhel Clinic and a school.
• By now CARE & FAIR has 348 members, is supporting 13 projects in India, Nepal and Pakistan, and has over 1 million DM in financial resources.

1997

• CARE & FAIR takes over its first hospital in India (Jwala Hospital), begins to expand the building and acquires its own ambulance.
• CARE & FAIR receives a Gold Badge of Honour from the Vetega Gilde purchasing consortium.
• CARE & FAIR Pakistan is registered.

1998

• CARE & FAIR takes over operations of the open-air Amita School (India) and begins to construct a school building.
• CARE & FAIR expands its support to all members of rug and carpet knotting families and gets involved with the Boudha Clinic in Kathmandu.
• Construction of a new primary school in India, Phase 1 (Chaksikhari School).

1999

• CARE & FAIR has 780 members around the world.
• Construction of a new school in India (Haji Saheb Ali School) begins.
  

2000

• CARE & FAIR India hires Dr. Gupta as its full-time medical doctor. All of the children at CARE & FAIR’s
  own schools now receive regular check-up exams.
• The flagship Vern School in Pakistan is completed as the first new school built with
  CARE & FAIR -Funding and continued financing from the local community.
• The decision is made to build a new CARE & FAIR Grameen School in India (the old one was taken over in 1997).

• August: The Chitani Talab Dispensary begins the DOTS tuberculosis treatment programme
  introduced by the public health authority (DOTS = Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course).
• The Haji Saheb Ali School (India) is dedicated.

2001

• The Semuhi School is dedicated as another new CARE & FAIR school in India.
• September: CARE & FAIR introduces the Women Empowerment Program (WEP) to educate women. At the Amita School (India) women learn how to sew and embroider and are taught basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The US Barakat Inc., which will cover the cost of continuing the Grameen School and sponsoring the ongoing costs for an initial 5 years. From now on the school is called.
  CARE & FAIR Barakat School.
  

2002

• CARE & FAIR USA is registered in New York.
• September: Another WEP is established at the Barakat School.

2003

• Since being founded, CARE & FAIR has spent 2.66 million EUR on aid and assistance efforts.
• A school garden for agricultural lessons is planted at the Semuhi School (India).

2004

• CARE & FAIR finances 32 projects.
• November: The Jawalakhel Clinic building, with the CARE & FAIR – office, is dedicated in Kathmandu.

2005

• The »Förderverein CARE & FAIR e.V. « sponsorship association is established as a charitable
• The State Department of Health Services assumes the costs for tuberculosis medicine and now works closely together with us. We only continue to pay the costs for implementing the DOTS programme .
  

2006

• Taeppe Cirklen (now Linie Design) from Lynge, Denmark, teams up with its suppliers in India to take over the operating costs for the Chaksikhari School.
• Hill & Co. Rugs, London, assumes the operating costs for our Haji Saheb Ali School (India).
• The Chitani Talab Medical Dispensary is renamed Volker Heinrich Medical Dispensary

2007

• Construction of the Vern Girls School in Pakistan begins.
• A new ambulance is acquired for the Jawalakhel Clinic in Kathmandu.

2008

• The Vern Girls School is dedicated.
• September: A WEP begins at, what is now, the Linie Design School.

2009

• Construction of the CARE & FAIR carpetXL in India begins.
• Talks begin with the John Lewis Foundation, London, regarding the construction of a high school for girls.
• Thanks to a large donation, the decision is made to install PCs at all CARE & FAIR-own Schools in India
  and to included computer classes in the curriculum.
• September: The DOTS tuberculosis treatment programme is introduced at the Jwala Hospital (India).
• Abdul Mabood Khan transfers a piece of land in Mowaiya, Cheelh, Mirzapur (India) to CARE & FAIR
  to build another schoole.

2010

• The CARE & FAIR carpetXL (India) is dedicated; a WEP course begins in July.
• October: A WEP is established at the Haji Saheb Ali School (India) and two rooms are added.
• A yoga centre is set up at the Jawalakhel Clinic in Kathmandu and appropriate courses offered.
  

2011

• September: Our sixth WEP course begins at the Semuhi School (India).
• For the first time, graduates of the WEP course are given the opportunity to lease sewing machines for a
  small fee as a way to give these women greater independence.
  As an extra incentive, CARE & FAIR places orders for them to sew school uniforms.
  

2012

• Hellenic Canada is brought on board as a sponsor to cover the operating costs for the KVM School and the KVM Clinic (India).

2013

• Construction of the John Lewis Foundation Girls High School (Chaksikhari, India) begins.
• A new ambulance is acquired in Nepal, sponsored by the Rotary Club Hamburg-HafenCity.
• The Haji Saheb Ali School (India) is supplied with solar energy.
• All of the children at CARE & FAIR schools are to be given solar lamps, to replace the more dangerous kerosene lamps.
• The Kantilal Vidya Mandir School, which has been supported since its inception, is 25 years old.
  

2014

• Inauguration of the John Lewis Foundation Girls High School.
• Inauguration of WEP VII at the B.B. Singh Public School.
• Every year, mobile health and eye care examinations are carried out in various areas, particularly in Nepal.
• In India, teacher training courses are held annually.#
• CARE & FAIR celebrates its birthday: 20 years of existence. We look back on this time with pride and satisfaction.
• WEP VI – construction of a larger classroom at CARE & FAIR’s Semuhi School.

2015 

• Donations for victims of the earthquake in Nepal: following the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal
  on April 25, 2015, CARE & FAIR set up a donations account and provided immediate aid through CARE & FAIR Nepal in Kathmandu.
• In July, a new ambulance was introduced for CARE & FAIR Nepal / Health & Ambulance Services.
• Through Light to Enlightenment: The new campaign by CARE & FAIR: Solar lamps for all children, so they can
  continue learning in the evening without the need for dangerous kerosene lamps.
• The Rug Establishment by Hiphome (Australia) and its exporter Designer’s Desire (India) are announced as the
  new sponsors of CARE & FAIR’s carpetXL School.
• The Semuhi School is sponsored by Hali Handmade Carpets (Australia) from 01.01.2015 onwards.
• Following successful completion of the construction of the John Lewis Girls High School, its playground is put
  back into operation.

2016

• The State Bank of India donates a 26-seater school bus to CARE & FAIR (India).
  The school bus provided to us allows us to transport teachers from Bhadohi to the schools and to provide
  educational trips for the children.
• Training programme held for teachers.

2017

• New solar energy systems: with this, all of CARE & FAIR’s schools are now equipped with solar energy systems.
• From April onwards, miinu GmbH, Germany takes over the running costs for the Semuhi School in India.
• New secondary school in the Haji Saheb Ali School, India. CARE & FAIR proudly integrates a secondary school
  (grades 9 and 10) into the existing Haji Saheb Ali School.

2018

• A new and larger school bus is purchased thanks to a donation from the John Lewis Foundation.
• Solar lamp distribution: In March 2018, solar lamps are distributed to 800 children in
  CARE & FAIR
• Thanks to Amy Kent, a carpet designer from England, CARE & FAIR is able to support the Kantilal Vidya Mandir
  (KVM) School in the construction of a new drinking water system.
• An English workshop is organised for teachers and headteachers at
  CARE & FAIR schools: this is intended to encourage the participants (teachers and principals) to speak English more often.
• CARE & FAIR goes green – we remained true to this motto. All CARE & FAIR schools now have solar systems,
  and all the old fans have been replaced.
• Donation action for new blackboards: all blackboards in the schools are exchanged for new white ones. This removes the serious problem of the chalk dust, which posed a health risk to the children.

2019

• ICE MARCJANSSEN is announced as the new sponsor of the V.H. Medical dispensary.
• Seasons meal in the Barakat School, sponsored by CarpetVista AB, Sweden.
• A new school bus for the teachers: this bus was donated to CARE & FAIR by the Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions.
• Health check up camps for carpet-knotting families; sponsored by Ambadi Enterprises Ltd, India.

2020

• March: EYE Camp for carpet weaving families; sponsored by Ambadi Enterprises Ltd., India.
• As in the previous year, C & F gave the children in the schools a “Season’s Meal”
• Since the schools in India were also closed due to Corona, C & F organized a workshop for the
  teachers so that they could still organize and implement smooth school processes. `

2021

• After our long-standing sponsor of the John Lewis Girls High School, the John Lewis Foundation,
  UK, ended its sponsorship, C & F was able to inspire a new sponsor for this school: The new sponsor is now the Rug & Home Foundation (USA) and Vision Express (UNITED STATES). The school was renamed the C & F Girls Hight School.
• After talks about sponsoring with the German online retailer benuta in Bonn (DE), we were able to record a great result.
  It was decided to build a new school. The land for construction was donated to C & F in India by Mr. Ahsan Raul Khan
  (Member of the Board in India).

2022

• New school, the benuta School: Transfer of the land to C & F in January and start of construction in February.
• C & F received the registration of the C & F Girls High School for grades 9 and 10.
• RugVista, Sweden again sponsored a “Seasons meal” for all schools.
• It was decided that the teachers would hold a workshop every year. In these workshops, the teachers receive information
  about the latest teaching methods.
• Construction began on a new C & F office and another room in the Amita School.
• “Smart Teaching” is now being introduced in the first schools

2023

• Two new rooms were built in the C & F Girls High School, sponsored by Ambadi Enterprises Ltd., India.
• Construction of the benuta School is progressing well. Inauguration is planned for October, latest beginning early 2024.
•  “Smart Teaching” is now being used in all schools.

2024

• In April, in time for the new academic year, the benuta School was inaugurated.
  The first three classes were able to start and next year the 4th, 5th and 6th grades can begin.