Artisan Organization: Noah's Ark

Country: India

Moradabad, India in 1986 was a place where the concept of Fair Trade did not exist, and where Mr. Samuel Masih noticed that most exporters were exploiting their artisans. An energetic local businessman with a heart for his people, Samuel established the organization not only to promote and support artisans, but also to invest profits in their social and economic development.

Noah’s Ark runs three schools, provides the families of their 700 artisans free health care and access to clean water, and has facilitated the building of 22 independent workshops. While Samuel admits that sometimes he feels like slowing down, knowing that he has hundreds of people behind him keeps him going.

The cup was made by Dilshad Hussain and his group of stainless steel artisans situated just outside Moradabad. Dilshad deals exclusively with Noah’s Ark, and the organization recently donated a dye press machine to his workshop.