Fair trade

Us and our suppliers

Every Myakka product you choose is useful, beautiful, dependable and enduring. That way, fair trade is neither a charity nor a compromise but a real delight you’ll be proud to welcome into your home. Between Myakka and our main supplier in India, we negotiate fair and proper prices and we pay for our furniture as each shipment leaves India. No waiting, no cash flow issues, no financial juggling. We’ve been working together for years now, and the way we work means we’re a big part of the progress and growth.

Myakka’s success brings more jobs, more trade and more financial stability not just for the company but for the families and community it supports. Their smaller subcontractors thrive too. For example, through growing trade, one has been able to buy the land that its workshops are on. We see it all happening when we visit twice a year and we celebrate all these continuous developments. We’re proud to be part of what’s being achieved in every department, especially for the people we’ve come to know so well.

Fair shares for all

We buy from our main supplier. They pass on a share of their profits. You buy from us. We pass on a share of our profits. It’s so simple and it makes such a difference, like ripples on a pond. We couldn’t do any of it without you. So ...Thank you!

Click on the links to read about the great work they all do and to donate directly if you wish.

Based in Jodhpur, SKSN is a school for physically challenged children which now sits under the umbrella of the Indiability Foundation that exists to advance the integration of physically challenged people across India. Myakka is both developing trade links with and supports with annual donations for anything from shoes and socks to medical supplies.

Visit SKSN School

This school in Jodhpur is supported by our philanthropic supplier and indirectly by years of dependable trade with Myakka. The involvement is not just financial but as Chairman and Secretary, our suppliers are heavily involved in assisting with the day-to-day management and wider strategy of the school ensuring it’s future development.

Visit Vidhyashram School

This charitable foundation works to promote vibrant, inclusive communities in Somerset through developing a culture of local giving. We value our local community and as such set up the Myakka Grassroots Fund which is specifically aimed at supporting projects benefitting children and families within the South Somerset area.

Visit Somerset Community Foundation

Myakka and SKSN

2008We donated £1,270 towards the running costs of the SKSN school dairy which provides essential milk and yogurt to the children.

2009We donated £5,000 for clothing, medicine and equipment for the limb workshop. Myakka also bought the materials to build 70 new desks and benches and our furniture supplier kindly covered the cost of production. We commissioned new ranges of cushions and soft furnishings which were designed and produced for Myakka by the former students, ensuring their adult independence through fair trade work.

2010We donated £5,700 towards shoes, medicines, toiletries and food for the children.

2011We donated £8,175 to cover all stationary for the school and support the Vocational Training Centre for the year. This enables children to learn needlecraft skills for their future independence and trade.

2012We donated £14,500 to keep things singing along cheerfully at the Vocational Training Centre where many of our beautiful cushions are made. Some of the money also went to give the children smart new school uniforms. With extra support from our furniture suppliers, we stretched the budget to give every child a glass of milk every day during the cold winter months. Cheers everyone!

Visit SKSN School to discover more about their work and donate directly if you wish.

PS. We hope you enjoy the mehendi designs which decorate this website – these were all hand-drawn for us by a few of our special friends at SKSN!

Grassroots in Somerset

2009We donated £5,000 as our initial pledge to establish the Myakka Grassroots Fund. We had a three-year target of £25,000 to support children and local family projects in our area of South Somerset. The Somerset Community Foundation, of which Grassroots is a part, really appeals to us as it helps our local area just as specifically as we’re helping in Jodhpur.

2010Our next £5,000 donation meant our Grassroots Fund could continue to claim 100% match funding from the government which doubled its value.

2011We continued our support as in the previous two years, keeping up the local support to match our input overseas.

2012With our pledges and the match funding, we've met our original 2009 target and we're now streaking ahead of it. 2012's donation was a further £5,000, partly ear-marked to help Relate set up an outreach centre, offering counselling services for people living in the South Somerset area.

Visit Somerset Community Foundation to discover more about their work and donate directly if you wish.