Khushi lives in Bangladesh. She is employed as an artisan embroiderer with Others, a Salvation Army initiative that uses fair trade principles to create jobs and empower communities through the alleviation of poverty. 

Artisans are engaged through relationships with local Salvation Army programmes that focus on economic development in rural and urban settings. Examples include self-help groups focusing on women's empowerment and projects for rehabilitation of sex workers or trafficking victims.

All products are hand-made or include some element of manual work. Some production groups consist of full-time employees, while many consist of part-time workers who are paid on a piecework basis. This inclusivity provides income-opportunities for mothers who need to combine work with child-care. Others is one of the ways in which the international Salvation Army creates employment opportunities for people who would otherwise be at the back of the queue.

‘In my community it is hard for women to go out and find work. We have many responsibilities at home, but most of us are willing to work and contribute to household expenses. 

‘My work with Others has given me a way to work from home, so that I can balance work and income with family expectations. I make the embroidered hearts; something I can easily do from my home. The money I make from these hearts has improved my life, as it has for other women in my community. 

‘I am seeing the change in myself and in others. We are proud.’