'A picture is worth a thousand words' - this English adage couldn't be more apt for this picture of local women artisans of Bangladesh working for a non-for-profit organization making TyPaw toys!
What makes this image so powerful?
Bangladesh as an economy falls under the category of a least developed country ( UN, June 2018), however, due to socio-economic uplifting initiatives by the Bangladeshi government, the country has been able to lift the majority of its population out of poverty! The world economic forum ranks Bangladesh as one of the most gender-equal economies of South Asia with a female-labor force participation rate of 45% as of 2020!
The above image is taken at a local non-for-profit organization in Dhaka, Bangladesh who's mission is women empowerment through fair-trade, and its vision is to create strong-minded and self-sufficient women of Bangladesh.
How does this fit in with TyPaw model?
After having struggled for a few years to truly define in words what TyPaw's purpose is, I had a profound moment that made me realize that TyPaw has been a Social Enterprise since its inception and our vision aligns perfectly well with that of our partner organizations' which is simply to make to this world a better place!
We have taken painstaking steps to ensure that we stay true to our values of being transparent, fair, and socially responsible, and those values are translated into our production making and selection process.
What initially began as a profit-driven e-commerce pet brand, TyPaw quickly transformed into a profit-driven social enterprise whose purpose is three-fold - better quality toys for pets, women empowerment in less fortunate economies, and overall a positive environmental impact by reducing our carbon footprint.
We believe this can be achieved by supporting businesses that practice in #fairtrade, support #socialjustice , #womenequality #poverty - all of which are basic human rights issues.
So how do TyPaw toys make a positive environmental impact and support other causes?
All of our toys are made using cotton and/or jute fiber. Jute is by nature #biodegradable which makes it #compostable, and our line of cotton toys are stuffed using #recycledplastic bottles to help reduce the plastic waste from getting into the oceans. Our packaging is eco-friendly and we try to keep our printing to the minimum.
In 2019, we decided to take it a step further by officially partnering with an animal rights non-for-profit organization based in Canada & India - @Cawa.nurturingthebond by donating to their cause regularly, and raising awareness around the injustice and daily struggles of street dogs in India. We help re-home disabled dogs from Punjab, India to North America, and give them a real fighting chance at leading a normal pawsome life!
We also do our part in supporting the #socialpurpose driven community by recognizing other businesses that have a similar vision. My very dear friend and former employer @kathleenpeace, principal designer at KP Jewelry is a phenomenal artist from Toronto, Canada, and runs her own social purpose-driven small business that contributes to the Girls' Empowerment Clubs in Ghana, eSwatini, and Togo.
Every toy that you purchase from TyPaw helps save a street dog in India, educates and provides a sustainable living for women in Bangladesh, and helps tackle the chronic plastic problem that we are currently facing in the world.
You can find TyPaw on:
Instagram: @typaw_
