Blog

The Fair Trade Circus: Why Ethical Certification is a Tax on the Poor and a Business for the Rich

The Fair Trade Circus: Why Ethical Certificatio...

By Zein Ahmed A truth the global development world doesn’t want to hear… I run Love Handmade, a women-run artisan enterprise in rural Pakistan. We pay fair wages. We pay...

The Fair Trade Circus: Why Ethical Certificatio...

By Zein Ahmed A truth the global development world doesn’t want to hear… I run Love Handmade, a women-run artisan enterprise in rural Pakistan. We pay fair wages. We pay...

How to Spot a Real Social Business When Transparency Has Limits: A Guide to Ethical Shopping in Pakistan

How to Spot a Real Social Business When Transpa...

You want to buy ethical. You want your purchase to actually change lives. But how do you verify fairness when the artisans you're trying to support can't be publicly named or...

How to Spot a Real Social Business When Transpa...

You want to buy ethical. You want your purchase to actually change lives. But how do you verify fairness when the artisans you're trying to support can't be publicly named or...

So You Want to ‘Support Rural Artisans?’ Start by Not Asking for Custom Orders

So You Want to ‘Support Rural Artisans?’ Start ...

By Zein Ahmed A reality check for well-meaning buyers, craft lovers, social entrepreneurs — and anyone who has ever sent me a DM beginning with “Can you make this in...

So You Want to ‘Support Rural Artisans?’ Start ...

By Zein Ahmed A reality check for well-meaning buyers, craft lovers, social entrepreneurs — and anyone who has ever sent me a DM beginning with “Can you make this in...

The Gap Between Instagram and the Village Courtyard

The Gap Between Instagram and the Village Court...

By Zein Ahmed She can stitch a quilt. But can she build a business? The untold reality of rural artisan life in Pakistan. There’s a version of this story we...

The Gap Between Instagram and the Village Court...

By Zein Ahmed She can stitch a quilt. But can she build a business? The untold reality of rural artisan life in Pakistan. There’s a version of this story we...

The Women Who Raise Me: A Letter to the Superwomen of Pakistan and Beyond

The Women Who Raise Me: A Letter to the Superwo...

By Zein Ahmed With International Women's Day around the corner, I find myself reflecting not on grand stages or podiums, but on dusty village lanes, the hum of sewing machines...

The Women Who Raise Me: A Letter to the Superwo...

By Zein Ahmed With International Women's Day around the corner, I find myself reflecting not on grand stages or podiums, but on dusty village lanes, the hum of sewing machines...

Pakistan’s Hidden Economy Has a Woman’s Name

Pakistan’s Hidden Economy Has a Woman’s Name

By Zein Ahmed I still remember the first time I sat cross-legged on the cool floor of a mud home in rural Sindh, watching a woman stitch a ralli quilt...

Pakistan’s Hidden Economy Has a Woman’s Name

By Zein Ahmed I still remember the first time I sat cross-legged on the cool floor of a mud home in rural Sindh, watching a woman stitch a ralli quilt...