The main reason that I chose to give my time and energy to SCAW as a volunteer is their commitment to ensuring that 100% of all donations go directly to the children intended. However, another reason that I choose to support is SCAW is their support of local industry.
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| Computerized Loom |
Today we had the opportunity to visit some of the places where items in the bedkits are manufactured. These visits made it abundantly clear how much of an impact these bedkits make to the families of the area in terms of employment income.
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| Hand loom |
SCAW is so incredibly lucky to have the Rotary as their Overseas Partner in India. Our Rotary contact in Chennai, Ravi, explained to us that while the pricing, quality, and reliability are very important factors in selecting vendors, that Rotary also considers the vendor's business practices, ethics and moral values. For the vendors selected, supplying bedkit items is more about supporting the charity and providing local employment than it is about profits.
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| Hand loom up close |
Today we saw all levels of manufacturing, from women weaving the groundsheet on an entirely manually operated hand loom, to the computerized mechanical looms that weave intricately patterned blankets. The vendor who supplies the bedsheets has over 100 weavers who work out of their homes. We visited one home with two mechanical looms where the patterning is set by hand. The home owner owns the machines, although the supplier assists them with financing on the machines. Supplies are delivered and the finished product is picked up daily.
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| Women on the hand loom |
Today I saw first hand the impact that SCAW has in this area. It is impressive and heart warming.
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| Home loom |
Jennifer O'Donnell
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