US-based non-profit organisation Ten by Three will launch a programme to support women from low income groups to produce and market handmade products in association with the US Embassy in Kathmandu.

Ten by Three aims to enable women belonging to low income groups to manage the supply chain and ensure sustainable income generation for them by implementing the programme. The organisation establishes partnerships with poor people from rural areas to sell artisan products such as handicrafts to companies like Whole Foods Market, Disney and BMW.

Chief executive officer and founder of Ten by Three, Theresa Carrington, said the organisation would be supporting economically poor women to start businesses besides supporting them in the supply chain. According to Carrington, Ten by Three has started consulting with government bodies, private organisations and NGOs operating in Nepal to identify the severity of poverty in various parts of the country.

“Based on the study, we will soon decide which districts to focus on to implement the programme,” she added. Ten by Three will be supporting poor women to produce 10 types of handcrafted goods at higher wages than the market rate for three consecutive years.

“We will be offering the women with ‘prosperity wage’ that ensures at least 2.5 times more wage than the one provided in fair trade, which could help in poverty alleviation among those supported,” Carrington said. “The products that the poor women produce will then be marketed in countries like the US and Canada.”

According to her, the project is part of the initiative that the US government has targeted to promote transparent and ethical supply chain among the marginalised people of Nepal.

By enforcing a Nepal-specific trade preference programmes in 2015, the US government has been providing duty-free access to a range of Nepali goods, such as carpets, bags, headgear, shawls and scarves, to the American market. Under the programme, Nepali products covered by 77 Harmonised Tariff Schedule are granted duty-free entry into the US till December 31, 2025.

Carrington said these Nepali products could see high demand in the US market if the suppliers guarantee the transparency of the entire supply chain. Ten by Three now operates similar programmes in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Bangladesh.