Chronicle

CARE & FAIR has earned worldwide recognition and respect in the 25 years since it was founded.

Many years before the media campaign, individual importers had already shown commitment to the welfare of the knotting families they relied on. This is how the first project came about – with children taught under a tree in the Amita School.

It was THIS experience that was the key step towards building the first school. And other important projects would later follow.

Now for the “highlights” of CARE & FAIR’s 25 years of work:

1994

• A working group to combat child labour in the carpet industry was created.
• September: The CARE & FAIR – Teppichhandel gegen Kinderarbeit e. V. association is founded.

1995

• CARE & FAIR is recognised as a professional association.
• August: CARE & FAIR India is founded.

1996

• The first monetary aid is transferred to India.
• November: CARE & FAIR Nepal is founded.
• The first projects are supported in Nepal: the Jawalakhel Clinic and a school.
• By now CARE & FAIR has 348 members, is supporting 13 projects in India, Nepal and Pakistan, and has over 1 million DM in financial resources.

1997

• CARE & FAIR takes over its first hospital in India (Jwala Hospital), begins to expand the building and acquires its own ambulance.
• CARE & FAIR receives a Gold Badge of Honour from the Vetega Gilde purchasing consortium.
• CARE & FAIR Pakistan is registered.

1998

• CARE & FAIR takes over operations of the open-air Amita School (India) and begins to construct a school building.
• CARE & FAIR expands its support to all members of rug and carpet knotting families and gets involved with the Boudha Clinic in Kathmandu.
• Construction of a new primary school in India, Phase 1 (Chaksikhari School).

1999

• CARE & FAIR has 780 members around the world.
• Construction of a new school in India (Haji Saheb Ali School) begins.

2000

• CARE & FAIR India hires Dr. Gupta as its full-time medical doctor. All of the children at CARE & FAIR’s own schools now receive regular check-up exams.
• The flagship Vern School in Pakistan is completed as the first new school built with CARE & FAIR -Funding and continued financing from the local community.
• The decision is made to build a new CARE & FAIR Grameen School in India (the old one was taken over in 1997).
• August: The Chitani Talab Dispensary begins the DOTS tuberculosis treatment programme introduced by the public health authority (DOTS = Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course).
• The Haji Saheb Ali School (India) is dedicated.

2001

• The Semuhi School is dedicated as another new CARE & FAIR school in India.
• September: CARE & FAIR introduces the Women Empowerment Program (WEP) to educate women. At the Amita School (India) women learn how to sew and embroider and are taught basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The US Barakat Inc., which will cover the cost of continuing the Grameen School and sponsoring the ongoing costs for an initial 5 years. From now on the school is called.
  CARE & FAIR Barakat School.

2002

• CARE & FAIR USA is registered in New York.
• September: Another WEP is established at the Barakat School.

2003

• Since being founded, CARE & FAIR has spent 2.66 million EUR on aid and assistance efforts.
• A school garden for agricultural lessons is planted at the Semuhi School (India).

2004

• CARE & FAIR finances 32 projects.
• November: The Jawalakhel Clinic building, with the CARE & FAIR – office, is dedicated in Kathmandu.

2005

• The »Förderverein CARE & FAIR e.V. « sponsorship association is established as a charitable organisation.
• The State Department of Health Services assumes the costs for tuberculosis medicine and now works closely together with us. We only continue to pay the costs for implementing the DOTS programme .

2006

• Taeppe Cirklen (now Linie Design) from Lynge, Denmark, teams up with its suppliers in India to take over the operating costs for the Chaksikhari School.
• Hill & Co. Rugs, London, assumes the operating costs for our Haji Saheb Ali School (India).
• The Chitani Talab Medical Dispensary is renamed Volker Heinrich Medical Dispensary

2007

• Construction of the Vern Girls School in Pakistan begins.
• A new ambulance is acquired for the Jawalakhel Clinic in Kathmandu.

2008

• The Vern Girls School is dedicated.
• September: A WEP begins at, what is now, the Linie Design School.

2009

• Construction of the CARE & FAIR carpetXL in India begins.
• Talks begin with the John Lewis Foundation, London, regarding the construction of a high school for girls.
• Thanks to a large donation, the decision is made to install PCs at all CARE & FAIR-own Schools in India and to included computer classes in the curriculum.
• September: The DOTS tuberculosis treatment programme is introduced at the Jwala Hospital (India).
• Mr. Abdul Mabood Khan transfers a piece of land in Mowaiya, Cheelh, Mirzapur (India) to CARE & FAIR to build another schoole.

2010

• The CARE & FAIR carpetXL (India) is dedicated; a WEP course begins in July.
• October: A WEP is established at the Haji Saheb Ali School (India) and two rooms are added.
• A yoga centre is set up at the Jawalakhel Clinic in Kathmandu and appropriate courses offered.

2011

• September: Our sixth WEP course begins at the Semuhi School (India).
• For the first time, graduates of the WEP course are given the opportunity to lease sewing machines for a small fee as a way to give these women greater independence. As an extra incentive, CARE & FAIR places orders for them to sew school uniforms.

2012

• Hellenic Canada is brought on board as a sponsor to cover the operating costs for the KVM School and the KVM Clinic (India).

2013

• Construction of the John Lewis Foundation Girls High School (Chaksikhari, India) begins.
• A new ambulance is acquired in Nepal, sponsored by the Rotary Club Hamburg-HafenCity.
• The Haji Saheb Ali School (India) is supplied with solar energy.
• All of the children at CARE & FAIR schools are to be given solar lamps, to replace the more dangerous kerosene lamps.
• The Kantilal Vidya Mandir School, which has been supported since its inception, is 25 years old.

2014

• Inauguration of the John Lewis Foundation Girls High School.
• Inauguration of WEP VII at the B.B. Singh Public School.
• Every year, mobile health and eye care examinations are carried out in various areas, particularly in Nepal.
• In India, teacher training courses are held annually.
• WEP VI – construction of a larger classroom at CARE & FAIR’s Semuhi School.
• The project previously sponsored by the Canadian company Hellenic and not owned by CARE & FAIR, the Kantial Vidya Mandir School / Clinic, is now supported by the Australian company Armadillo based in New South Wales. This already took over the running expensise of this project at the end of 2014. In addition, Armadillo has assumed the costs for necessary repairs and maintenance since then.

2015

• Donations for victims of the earthquake in Nepal: following the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, CARE & FAIR set up a donations account and provided immediate aid through CARE & FAIR Nepal in Kathmandu..
• In July, a new ambulance was introduced for CARE & FAIR Nepal / Health & Ambulance Services.
• Through Light to Enlightenment: The new campaign by CARE & FAIR: Solar lamps for all children, so they can continue learning in the evening without the need for dangerous kerosene lamps.
• CARE & FAIR celebrates its birthday: 20 years of existence. We look back on this time with pride and satisfaction.
• The Rug Establishment by Hiphome (Australia) and its exporter Designer’s Desire (India) are announced as the new sponsors of CARE & FAIR’s carpetXL School.
• The Semuhi School is sponsored by Hali Handmade Carpets (Australia) from 01.01.2015 onwards.
• Following successful completion of the construction of the John Lewis Girls High School, its playground is put back into operation.

2016

• The State Bank of India donates a 26-seater school bus to CARE & FAIR (India). The school bus provided to us allows us to transport teachers from Bhadohi to the schools and to provide educational trips for the children.
• Training programme held for teachers.

2017

• New solar energy systems: with this, all of CARE & FAIR’s schools are now equipped with solar energy systems.
• From April onwards, miinu GmbH, Germany takes over the running costs for the Semuhi School in India.
• New secondary school in the Haji Saheb Ali School, India. CARE & FAIR proudly integrates a secondary school (grades 9 and 10) into the existing Haji Saheb Ali School.

2018

• A new and larger school bus is purchased thanks to a donation from the John Lewis Foundation.
• Solar lamp distribution: In March 2018, solar lamps are distributed to 800 children in CARE & FAIR schools.
• Thanks to Amy Kent, a carpet designer from England, CARE & FAIR is able to support the Kantilal Vidya Mandir (KVM) School in the construction of a new drinking water system.
• An English workshop is organised for teachers and headteachers at CARE & FAIR schools: this is intended to encourage the participants (teachers and principals) to speak English more often.
• CARE & FAIR goes green – we remained true to this motto. All CARE & FAIR schools now have solar systems, and all the old fans have been replaced.
• Donation action for new blackboards: all blackboards in the schools are exchanged for new white ones. This removes the serious problem of the chalk dust, which posed a health risk to the children.

2019

• ICE MARCJANSSEN is announced as the new sponsor of the V.H. Medical dispensary.
• Seasons meal in the Barakat School, sponsored by CarpetVista AB, Sweden.
• A new school bus for the teachers: this bus was donated to CARE & FAIR by the Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions.
• Health check up camps for carpet-knotting families; sponsored by Ambadi Enterprises Ltd, India.

2020

• March: EYE Camp for carpet weaving families;sponsored by Ambadi Enterprises Ltd., India.
• As in the previous year, C & F gave the children in the schools a “Season’s Meal”
• Since the schools in India were also closed due to Corona, C & F organized a workshop for the teachers so that they could still organize and implement smooth school processes.

2021

• After our long-standing sponsor of the John Lewis Girls High School, the John Lewis Foundation, UK, ended its sponsorship, C & F was able to inspire a new sponsor for this school:
• The new sponsor is now the Rug & Home Foundation (USA) and Vision Express (UNITED STATES). The school was renamed the C&F Girls Hight School.
• After talks about sponsoring with the German online retailer benuta in Bonn (DE), we were able to record a great result. It was decided to build a new school. The land for construction       was donated to C&F in India by Mr. Ahsan Raul Khan (Member of the Board in India). Construction started in July.