As 2020 draws to a close, the whole Maison Bengal team would like to express our deepest gratitude to you all, friends, stockists and internet clients around the world for your support this year more than ever. Your loyalty and generosity have kept the business safely afloat and enabled us to place orders with our suppliers throughout the year without interruption. We were also able to respond immediately to calls for help from our partner NGOs in providing emergency funds to help feed over 2,000 families in Bangladesh this spring when they needed it most, during their very strict lockdown. Solidarity with our partners is the fundamental principle to our business and is we believe the bedrock to sustainability.
All of us, irrespective of where we live have been very seriously impacted by the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, and the fall-out from the pandemic has exposed the many vulnerabilities intrinsic to our way of life. Whether it is in business (fast fashion in particular and the cancellation of millions of dollars worth of garment orders) or health or society in general, women have also tended to suffer disproportionately. A recent UN report estimates that the pandemic will push 47 million more women and girls globally below the poverty line, reducing decades of progress to eradicate extreme poverty.
In our small way, Maison Bengal is determined to address this trend by providing regular work and a decent wage to as many young women we can in Bangladesh. We aim to build resilience in the communities we work in, through employment and fair wages which help improve the education of the next generation and fosters empowerment of both mothers and children. Our local partner NGOs are on the ground and are ideally placed to identify the communities with the greatest need, and provide training to new artisans over and above the 5,000 we currently work with. As we approach a new year, we look forward to designing new products, working with our existing stockists around the world and fulfilling some exciting new collaborations which hopefully will bring heightened visibility to our brand and philosophy. There are many challenges ahead, continued delays with sea freight and production until a vaccine is available to all, and of course Brexit which will inevitably cause its fair share of disruptions, which is why your continued support is so valuable to us.
Thank you again, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
