Little Hathi toys!

Posted on 17/09/2012 by Jo

Little Hathi is a family run toy retailer based in beautiful Snowdonia. We LOVE toys and we pride ourselves on our ethical and environmental policies and we support fair trade.

We sell a selection of beautiful, educational and safe toys made from woods such as beech, alder and rubberwood.  Our wooden toys are varnished and painted using  environmentally friendly, non toxic and child safe paints and dyes. We also sell a good selection of knitted and crochet toys, stuffed animals and rag dolls most are made from cotton or organic cotton all are free from harmful toxins and chemicals.

Here at Little Hathi we’re extremely proud to have been importing Pebble Fair Trade toys and gifts from Hathay Bunano, based in Bangladesh since 2007.  These beautiful knitted products don’t just look good, they’re fair trade too!  They’re hand crafted with great care and skill by women in rural areas of Bangladesh. Rural jobs that are fairly paid, good quality, flexible and fair!

We will be adding lots more toys to the Little Hathi website in the near future.  Please get in touch if you would like a chat if you need any information!

Jo, Peter & Amber (The Little Hathi team)

Posted in News & Articles | Leave a comment

New Pebble Toys & Gifts for 2012

Posted on 29/11/2011 by Jo

Pebble Caterpillar RattlesPebble have come up with some fantastic new additions for 2012 including these adorable little caterpillar rattles.  Pebble toys have been a massive success in the UK and around the world in 2011 and in 2012 we hope to make Pebble even more successful.  The popularity of the Pebble brand has meant our stocks have been somewhat depleted towards the final months of 2011 but new deliveries are on the way and we’re getting ready for another fantastic year.

Baby rattles are the best selling items from the Pebble knitted range and these new caterpillar cuties are sure to be popular.  The vibrant colours really leap out at you.  They’re a great size for little hands to play with and shake about, babies will love the colours and they can grab the little antenna easily.

New Pebble Knitted Baby HatsWe’re really excited about the new range of hats!  These two new owl designs match up with the popular little owl rattles.  The owl hat and rattle makes a lovely gift and gives offers retailers the chance to cross sell items which also represent great value on their own.  These gorgeous hats keep little ears warm and look really unique.

New Organic HatsNew hats will also be available in organic cotton to match the Pebble Organic range.  Pink and blue bunny designs look super cute and make great gifts with matching bunny dolls, bunny rattles (pictured) and also dou dou comforters and matching pink and blue organic blankets.

pebble organic blankets and rattlesAnother addition to the Pebble Organic cotton range are new blankets, bunny rattles and bunny dolls in “Teal” colour.  This new colour makes a lovely unisex newborn gift.

New Pebble RattlesAn finally we have some new Pebble Knitted Vegetable and Fruit Rattles.  Broccoli, beetroot, pear and orange slice.  We’ve already mentioned these lovely rattles in our last post and here they are again.  Probably our best selling product over the years has been the Pebble knitted vegetable rattles and it’s easy to see why.  Our fruit and vegetable rattles appeal to a range of ages and they’re simply great fun.

These new products are due in early in the new year.

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Legendary Knitted Vegetable Rattle

Posted on 24/11/2011 by Jo

Knitted Vegetable Rattles - Singles

What do carrots, radishes, aubergines, cauliflowers, mushrooms and pumpkins have in common? They are all part of our fabulous and unique knitted vegetable rattle range, of course!

Not only do these sweet baby rattles look adorable, but they hold a pretty special place in our hearts too. The Little Hathi story started with these colourful little veggies back in 2007.

We can still remember the day we received our first box of samples from Hathay Bunano. We’d been so excited to see them and they had finally arrived. We prised open the box and out fell a rainbow of colours and a riot of vegetable shapes; we instantly fell in love with them.

Our daughters, who were babies then, absolutely loved these colourful new baby rattles and we’d often find our fruit bowl full of these quirky knitted vegetables or they’d be scattered all over the house; if only they really counted as one of our five a day!

Hathay Bunano are celebrating the humble vegetable rattle this week too, because it is also where their story began. Samantha Morshed, Hathay Bunano’s founder, wanted to create an ethical, fair and sustainable working environment for the women of Bangladesh, and the knitted vegetable baby rattles were the first toys that were lovingly hand-made in 2004.

Since then, the vegetable baby rattles have proved to be a big hit. Well, who could resist their adorable shapes, bright colours, quirky designs and soft fabric? And babies absolutely love the jingly rattle noise.

They’re also great for older toddlers to learn about food play and nutrition. And knowing that each vegetable baby rattle is helping families in Bangladesh out of poverty, with fair and honest work is just the icing on the radish really!

We’re delighted to announce that there are some brand new vegetable rattles winging their way to us as we speak. Broccoli and beetroot will be the newest additions to the veggie baby rattle family, so look out for them in stock in the New Year, and you too can shake, rattle and make a vegetable roll!

Knitted Broccoli Veggie Rattle

knitted beetroot veggie rattle

Knitted Beetroot Veggie Rattle

 

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Hathay Bunano Story

Posted on 18/10/2011 by Sioned

Behind the Scenes of Bangladesh’s most successful community business

Samantha Morshed

Samantha Morshed is a woman on a mission; a mission to create fair, honest and reliable work for woman in one of the world’s poorest countries.

And despite working against the odds, Samantha has succeeded, with great success. She has created a non-profit community business model that has provided thousands of women in Bangladesh with flexible, fairly paid and reliable work close to their homes and families.

In 2005 Hathay Bunano (literally meaning “hand-made”) was born, and the aim was simple.

“The poverty in Bangladesh is overwhelming and it’s impossible just to sit by and watch” says Samantha. “I wondered if I taught a small group of women to knit and we operated from day one as a business with a commercial basis whether we would be able to break the mould and demonstrate that real change was possible. So, with the help of a local NGO we gathered together a small group of women who I taught to knit in my spare room”

From small beginnings, the community business now employs over 5,000 women in 52 different areas across the country. Samantha believes firmly that creating honest employment is the key to reducing poverty. The women she employs knit and sew a whole range of children’s clothes and toys that are sold to retailers across the world. This business model is something that Samantha is passionate about.

“I wanted Hathay Bunano to demonstrate that it was possible to run a commercially successful handicraft project in rural Bangladesh. So many handicraft projects had been run over the previous couple of decades, which had shown little chance of sustainability and I wanted to prove that the problem was with the way that they had been run and not with the skills of the rural women.”

Samantha first visited Bangladesh in 1992 with her husband who is a British Bangladeshi, and the family moved there in 2004. Samantha was struck by the energy, vibrancy and colour of Bangladesh, but also the incredible poverty in which many families were forced to live because of a lack of well paid and regular work.

In 2009, Samantha was awarded an MBE for her work, of which she’s very proud, but insists that it’s the women who work for her who are the behind the real stories. She hopes that the continuing success of the business will help more and more women and their families escape the poverty trap and change their lives for the better.

And what about change in her own life as a result? “I’m so much more aware of my humanity” Samantha says. “I understand now that every mother in the world is the same, regardless of whether they live in a snazzy house in the UK, or a tiny hut in Bangladesh; every mother wants a future for her children and a life for them that is better than her own; every mother has aspirations for her children. I am just the same.”

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged | Leave a comment

Hathay Bunano – A day in the life of a co-worker

Posted on 01/08/2011 by Jo

Little Hathi meets Fatema Akter, one of the women who work at one of  the Hathay Bunano production centres in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where some of the beautiful hand-made Pebble toys for Little Hathi are bought to life.

Fatema’s life, and that of her family, has changed since she began working for this pioneering community project, so we wanted to find out more.

Can you tell us about your family?
My name is Fatema Akter and I am 24 years old. I have been married to Nizam for eight years, and he is a driver. We have a son who is 7 years old and is studying at the local nursery school, and a daughter who is 4 years old.

What is your home like?
We live in a shared house, about ½ km away from the production centre where I work near Dhaka City in Bangladesh.
There are five families living in the house altogether. We live in one small room and share a kitchen and toilet with the other families.

Can you tell us about your work for Hathay Bunano?
I started working for Hathay Bunano two years ago, to improve our financial situation. It’s difficult in this city for a family to live on one income. My husband works hard but I felt it was a burden for him to be the sole earner in the family.
I have wanted to go to work for a while, but I didn’t have the opportunity until I learnt about Hathay Bunano from a neighbour who worked there. Her lifestyle improved a lot within a few months of starting work and when I saw what she achieved, I knew I’d like to work for Hathay Bunano too.

We can work when it is convenient for us and I can bring my daughter to the pre-school crèche here which is essential, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to work. Since joining Hathay Bunano I’ve learnt to knit; something I saw my mother do when I was young so I have always wanted to learn. I’ve finally been able to learn properly and use my skills professionally.

What are the centres like?
I can honestly say that the Hathay Bunano production centre here is like a family. A big family though, because I can sometimes meet 100 women in a day!
The centre is cool and there’s lots of space which I don’t have at home. It’s a nice environment for my daughter and I.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I enjoy my freedom to work here. Some of my neighbours work in a garments factory, and they tell me that there’s a lot of pressure and that the working environment isn’t hygienic.
But here we’re totally free from this type of pressure, and I like this way of working very much.
It’s great to know that my daughter is safe while I work, and I can chat to my friends!
I think Hathay Bunano is the best way for women to earn a respectable wage here.

Do your children go to the crèche facility while you work?
My daughter goes to the preschool here while I’m working, and she’s learning to read and write now. I feel comfortable and secure about leaving her there because the room is in the same building where I am working, so I can see her during the day.
I think it’s a great part of working at Hathay Bunano.

How has your life changed since you began working for Hathay Bunano?
Before I started working, I had to ask my husband if I needed money to buy things, and sometimes he got upset because he didn’t have any to give me.
Now I can earn my own money to buy the things we need. I can happily support my family now; I feel we have more freedom than we did before and I feel much more secure
Now my children are starting their education and I feel happy that they will have a better life.

What are your ambitions while working with HB?
My great ambition is to finish paying off my loan that I had already borrowed from a finance NGO (Non-Government-Organisation).
Then I want to save hard and buy my husband a mini-bus so that he can earn more money for our children’s future.

And what are your hopes for the future?
I hope that my children will be able to go to a good university and I’ve always dreamt that they will do well and become honest and respected citizens in our society.
Now, thanks to my work at Hathay Bunano I can begin my plans to fulfil these future dreams.

Many thanks to Rayhan from the Hathay Bunano Dhaka Production Centre in Bangladesh, for interviewing and translating.



Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New centres opening to keep up with the demand for Pebble toys!

Posted on 06/07/2011 by Jo

Here at Little Hathi we love reading through the lovely feedback we get from our  customers.  Pebble toys are proving to be great sellers in shops and boutiques all over and it’s easy to see why.  They’re beautifully made and they really stand out!

Well, it looks like the demand for Pebble toys is definitely on the increase.  Hathay Bunano’s founder Samantha has today announced  that they are setting up three new training and production centres in Sirajganj with joint funding from Intercooperation (a Swiss not for profit organisation)

A colourful image from one of the villages in Sirajganj

A colourful image from one of the villages in Sirajganj

Hathay Bunano currently have 3 centres in this very poor area with 300 women working for them, and this is where our best selling crochet octopus rattle is made! Training has already started for 150 new workers, and Samantha hopes to train even more women as the Pebble brand grows!  And growing it is… did you know that when we started importing crochet toys from Hathay Bunano a few years ago there were only around 50 women working on them, and now there are more than 5000!

 

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Have you discovered Pebble fair trade toys and gifts?

Posted on 04/07/2011 by Jo

New Pebble Toys

Say Hello to our crochet octopus rattles, they’re fun and friendly and would make a great gift!

Here at Little Hathi we sell the beautiful, contemporary hand-made toys and gifts by Pebble.   Pebble toys are not only very beautiful, quirky and fun.. but they’re also fair trade and there’s a great story behind them.

The new crochet monster rattles come into stock at the end of July 2011 and they’re already causing a bit of a stir!  We think these will be very popular indeed.. as with all other Pebble toys, they’re suitable from birth and machine washable too.

 

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New for Autumn 2011 – Part 3 Pixie doudou comforters

Posted on 26/05/2011 by Jo

These Pixie doudou comforters will make great gifts for a newborn baby and they’re bound to be loved for years to come!  They’re beautifully crocheted in fantastic bright colours – we love them!

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New for Autumn 2011 – Part 2. Pebble Organic doudou comforters

Posted on 26/05/2011 by Jo

These simply adorable doudou comforter toys are new to the Pebble range and will be available from July.  They’re made from super soft 100% organic cotton so are perfect for babies to snuggle up with.. being organic, they won’t irritate sensitive skin or eczema.  Also, they’ll last much longer than conventional cotton toys as organic cotton can be washed 10 times more than conventional cotton before the fibres start to break down – perfect for a crochet comfort toy which tends to get dragged around, sucked and made dirty!

 

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New for Autumn 2011- Part 1. Pebble Chubby Monsters!

Posted on 26/05/2011 by Jo

Here at Little Hathi we’re so excited to be bringing you some brand new Pebble goodies!  These gorgeous, fun and quirky toys and gifts are being hand crocheted  by artisans in Bangladesh and will soon be making their way to us and will be in stock by July!   So lets have a look at the Chubby Monsters..

Pebble crochet Chubby Monster Toys

Our first crochet monster toy is called “Scary” He’s beautifully crocheted in blue and has stripy arms, a big bright red mouth with very scary pointy teeth!  One of his eyes are missing which makes this toy even more scary!

Next we have “Silly”  a wonderfully bright coloured little crocheted monster with three eyes which are embroidered in three different colours!  Silly has a sticky out bright red tongue, a huge smile and bright stripy, dangling legs!

And last but not least.. we have “Cheeky” the green crochet monster toy with a fantastic eyeball on top of his head.. we love him!  He also has a bright red nose and a great smile.

All of these monsters by Pebble are available to order online at Babipur and Little Hathi!

 

 

Posted in News & Articles | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment