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Imagine a group of ten or so people in a remote and poor part
of India. They specialise in pottery. Local demand for their
(excellent) products has dried up. They are very poor with some of them
being further disadvantaged through leprosy or other
disabilities. An order from TLM Trading for just one of
their products would literally change their circumstances radically -
not to mention that of their families. But none of
them speak English. They do not have a computer nor any office
equipment (apart from a rickety table). They have no experience or
facilities to export stock. They have never seen
western shops or catalogues and have little idea what would sell in the
UK, not to mention how to go about receiving money from the UK to pay
for an order. Even with the best will in the world, how on
earth would be able to market one of their products in our catalogue?
This is where an organisation called MESH come into their own.
MESH (Maximising Employment to Serve
the Handicapped) specialises in being 'middle-man' between producer
groups who employ disadvantaged artisans (especially leprosy affected)
and western retailers such as TLM Trading, as well as running their own
shop from their base in Delhi.  They travel
tirelessly throughout India to over 50 different producer groups -
taking product samples; placing orders; chasing orders; overseeing
payments; overseeing exports; quality checking; giving advice, etc.
Above all, they do their utmost to ensure that the artisans receive a
fair wage and that the group becomes a sustainable business
entity.
With some of the most hard-working and
tenacious staff we have ever met, we would simply not be able to affect
the number of lives we do without them. So next time you see one of our
products that has been supplied by MESH, please be assured that a huge
amount of work, dedication and skill went in to bringing that product
to the UK! 
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