AMMA is a social business set in the tea highlands of Nuwara Eliya, working to provide viable employment options for the families of the tea estate workers and to produce sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion.
AMMA, meaning mother in local languages, Tamil and Sinhala, teaches women to produce ethical, handmade products using natural dyes. AMMA’s natural dyes are made from food waste and plants and production uses carbon neutral methods and natural textiles to minimise the negative effects of ‘fast fashion’ on the environment, which is the 2nd largest polluter after oil.
They are working in partnership with another AfID partner, Tea Leaf Trust, as one of their sources of sustainable employment for local women. With viable employment options scarce outside of the tea plantations, many women are forced to leave their families to find work in the Middle East as ‘domestic servants’ or in garment factories. This leaves both mothers and children vulnerable to abuse. AMMA have found many of the women they employ are affected by depression, pressure of high loans, inadequate housing and domestic abuse. AMMA provides flexible and fairly paid employment to the women, reinvesting the profits back into the local community.
Their textile studio produce products made to order with an onsite and online shop. Their training centre trains local women and also runs workshops for clients to learn the techniques of natural dying and weaving. They also run weekly life skills classes for employees, covering a range of topics from budgeting, nutrition and communication.
For more information, please visit their website.
