Happy blankets creating sustainable livelihoods
Posted on Nov 06, 2020
Laura Rana's new social enterprise Khushi Kantha aims to empower struggling mothers from the communities helping the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to provide for their children with dignity. The mothers hand-stitch multi-purpose baby ‘kantha’ blankets made from reclaimed cotton, which are then sold by Khushi Kantha.
‘Kantha’ refers to both the tradition of mothers crafting blankets for their babies by sewing together their old saris, and the embroidery stitch that is applied over the top. It can also simply mean ‘blanket’. And 'Khushi’ is the Bengali word for ‘happy.’
We interviewed Laura to learn more about her goals for Khushi Kantha and how marketing volunteers Kathryn Robinson, Laura Clarke, Chris Harris and Steve Pannett are helping her to achieve them.
Steve Pannett, founder of Union Brand & Design said, 'Laura reached out for help through Pimp My Cause and I was more than happy to be involved in designing the brand and visual identity for Khushi Kantha. Workers in the social enterprise, charity and not-for-profit sectors are so passionate about what they do and it makes collaborating on their projects all the more exciting. I was told about Pimp My Cause by a friend in the design industry as I was looking for some work that I could claim full ownership of for my new venture (Union Brand & Design) – it's a great way of giving a little back, beefing up a showcase of your abilities and making some great contacts in a variety of sectors along the way. I'm delighted with how the designs for Khushi Kantha turned out and am looking forward to supporting the enterprise going forwards'.
The Khushi Kantha website is now live and they are selling their first blankets in an online auction from Novemeber 20th to 27th.