Set your table simply with this minimalist Rectangle or Square Handled Basket hand‒woven from date palm leaves by artisans working with Rishilpi. Our fair trade partner Rishilpi trains and supports artisans in rural Bangladesh.
- Date palm leaves and leather
- Wipe with damp cloth
- Overall: Rectangle - 14.5L x 11W x 2.5H inches; Square 10.25W x 10.25L x 3.75H inches;
- Two tan leather handles attached to the short sides of the basket (one on each side)
- Handcrafted in Bangladesh
Rishilpi, a nonprofit, nongovernmental development organization in southwest Bangladesh, was founded to improve the lives of people of the Rishi caste. "Rishilpi" is formed from two Bengali words, "Rishi," denoting the caste, and "shilpi," meaning artist or craftsman. Rishi, traditionally leather workers, for centuries have lived at the margins of Bengali society. Generally landless, with no easy access to schools, many struggled in a continual search for work to survive. In addition to income generation, Rishilpi conducts relief and development work in rural Bangladesh communities. Benefits to artisans include education sponsorship, health care, microcredit savings programs and early marriage prevention support for their adolescent daughters.