Supporting the Artisans - Exhibitions in the U.S.

KSU Fair Trade Marketplace
I just returned to the U.S. after working 11 months in India and was able to participate in the first real exhibition showcasing the products made by the artisans we are supporting in India. It was a great success and the people loved the products. I helped to start the Fair Trade Advocates student organization at my university in Kansas and just before Christmas, they organized a two day marketplace for fair trade retailers and artisan groups to share their products. There was more support then the previous years and we nearly sold out all of our products! Some of the vendors included well-known Ten Thousand Villages and Equal Exchange, as well as some new initiatives by Kansas' own Two Hands World Shop, Urban Haat (go Jermaine!) and AWAZ. Look out for the new project working with Ugandan women called AWAVA!

The Artisans
While I was in India, my work in the non profit sector led me to discover the plethera of initiatives to help generate income for low income communities. From handicrafts to soap, jams and honey, women and other low income groups are getting low interest loans from microfinance institutions to start their own businesses. With their work, they are able to earn an income to meet their daily needs and provide education and healthcare to their children. The products are also environmentally friendly. Many of the products are handmade from natural substances grown or sourced locally, such as plants, fabrics, dyes and recycled ware. We visited many groups and brought products back from six different artisan groups. I'm now living in the U.S. and am helping to market their products to raise support for their work and fundraise for our Gujjar Project!

For 6 months in 2008 I worked in Dehradun in the foothills of the Himalayas with an NGO called the Purkal Youth Development Society (PYDS). I helped develop fundraising campaigns, design a new website and strengthen the management and record keeping systems of the organization and their work. There is a great need for professional development in the non profit sector in India and through our work with AWAZ, we will continue to partner with organizations in India and provide support. During my time in India, my friend and business partner, Talha and I, discovered a variety of artisan groups producing beautiful crafted products. PYDS had a project called Stree Shakti working with over 100 women in the village who handstitched quilts, bags and other products. They make nice quilted products from traditional Indian fabric, such as toiletry bags, handbags, cushion covers and placemat sets. Their trademark are their patchwork quilts, so go to their website and check them out - international delivery and no minimum order! You can also make a difference by getting involved with their youth education project by sponsoring a child or funding a day's meal!

We also learned about a couple other projects with women and artisans around Dehradun, where we lived. The Himalayan Weavers work in a mountain community above Dehradun with traditional weavers producing hand-woven scarves, stoles and shawls from lamb's wool and natural dyes. That's right, they use natural dyes and it's beautiful! The scarves are natural, beautiful and the people love them!



Chandroti is an income generating project for women in a village outside of Dehradun who produce knitted woolen blankets, shawls, scarves, caps, vests and more. Their yarn is good quality, warm and soft. The project is led by an Indian woman who is now helping to provide employment for over 150 women in the village. They have beautiful throws, cute footsies and scarves, one of which contains an attached cap.

Sadhna is a well established microenterprise ran by over 600 women artisans in villages in Rajasthan. I had the opportunity to visit the women and was amazed to see their involvement in the program. The women apply traditional embroidery and applique techniques on clothing items, wall hangings, bags, blankets and more. Their trademark embroidery is a sight to see on cushion covers, bags and even placemat sets.


MESH is another wonderful fair trade organization helping to provide a source of income for disabled persons. They have a beautiful store in Delhi with a diverse range of products from artisans around the country who they work with. I'm a big fan of their coasters, jewelery, handbags, paper mache boxes and woven baskets.


Dastkar is one of the oldest organizations working to empower handicraft artisans in India. I visited their Ranthanmbhore Project in Rajasthan and found the women engaged in their work and even a traditional block printer providing designs and fabric for the products. The women produce a large assortment of clothing items, home products and bags.

Artisan Profile: SADHNA - www.sadhna.org

Sadhna began in 1998 as a handicraft income generating project for a small group of 15 women from a rural village in Rajasthan, India. The women were trained in stitching and today, the group has grown into a large family of 600 artisans. They are a fair trade organization committed to empowering rural and tribal women, both economically and socially, and enhancing their self-esteem. The organization works with over 40 producer groups of 30-35 members, helping in the production and marketing of the handicraft products. The product range consists of garments such as fashion tops, scarves, skirts and homes furnishing such as bags and cushion covers. All the products are created out of hand woven, hand printed fabrics, mainly in cotton and silk. The organization has two shops in Udaipur, where they work and is planning to have a shop in Delhi. The women participate in more than 10 exhibitions a year for marketing their products within India.

The organization is providing employment to more and more women who begin with a 3-month training program and throughout the year participate in skill and design development workshops. They earn a fair share of the proceeds from their products and play a significant role in all aspects of decision making and profit sharing. The women are all members of the organization and are part of the Managing Committee. The participation of the artisans has given them the confidence to participate in community development activities and to address their concerns through group efforts. The women are playing a larger role in household matters, as well as in the decision making of village level issues. They believe that economic empowerment proves to be a path to larger social and political empowerment.

Artisan Profile: MESH (Maximizing Employment to Serve the Handicapped) - www.clikpic.com/mesh

Started 25 years ago in New Delhi by a group of North American expatriate wives, MESH ― or Maximizing Employment to Serve the Handicapped ― provides opportunities for disabled people and their dependents, especially those affected by leprosy, to be rehabilitated in order to become self-sufficient. MESH's founders focused their initial efforts on a leprosy colony north of Delhi, where they encouraged people to weave and raise poultry. Today, MESH buys and sells handicrafts from some 54 autonomous groups of disabled and leprosy-affected persons all over the country. They provide market assistance, product development and training to artisans and operate a large retail store of fair trade products sourced from the different groups. The store is filled with jewelry, fashion bags and accessories, clothing, bedspreads, cushion covers, tablecloths, papiermâché products and more. They also have a design studio for conducting regular workshops and trainings for product development with their artisans. MESH has now started a two year project to help implement the Fair Wage Project in collaboration with World of Good. The project looks at the inputs the artisans are making and evaluating their production to ensure their earning enough to get out of poverty. The organization is strong and well-established with a large market presence overseas. Many of their products are sold through Ten Thousand Villages, as well.

Artisan Profile: HIMALAYAN WEAVERS - www.himalayanweavers.org

Himalayan Weavers is a great organization working to promote the traditional crafts and skills of people living in the Himalayas. Led by a husband and wife team, they work with traditional weaving communities to produce handwoven woolen shawls, scarves and stoles using natural dyes. The project helps sustain the weaving tradition and provide employoment to men and women in mountain communities.

The organization works with the Bhotia people, legendary traders, shepherds, spinners and weavers in the Northern Himalayas. For generations they have nutured relationships with nomadic Tibetans by trading agriculture for wool to produce beautifully woven carpets and stoles from traditional looms. Greater access to mill products has led to a decline in traditional wool craftsmanship and now Himalayan Weavers is helping to support the weavers by providing design and market assistance to help market their products.

Himalayan Weavers believes in strengthening the local community and the environment by using a totally local and natural process. The products are made from wool brought from Tibet and then hand washed and spun by women in the local community. The wool is then dyed using natural dyes extracted from plants growing in the Himalayas. The local weavers take the various shades of light and dark colored wool to weave together on traditional looms in their home. The result is a beautifully handspun scarf or shawl made from natural dyes.

Himalayan Weavers pays fair wages to their producers and dedicates 25% of their profits to education causes in the community. I had the opportunity to visit them in 2008 and was amazed at their efforts. They're helping to sustain the weaving tradition in the mountain communities and producing beautiful, natural products that everyone can enjoy. They're a young organization, but already their products are in high demand. AWAZ is helping to expand their market in the US and already has some buyers.

Artisan Profile: STREE SHAKTI - www.purkal.org

The Purkal Youth Development Society is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing the lives of disadvantaged rural youth through education and empowering women through skill development. I worked with this organization for 6 months and was impressed with their honest and sincere efforts to help elevate the communities they work in. They work in a rural village in Northern India in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains where they operate a Learning Center for youth and run a handicraft skill training program for women. The society is providing mentoring and education to over 140 youth and helping over 70 women in the village earn a steady income to care for their family. Stree Shakti, meaning ‘women power’, is the name of the handicraft project which for the last five years, has been teaching women how to make quilts and various other home and fashion products. The women apply beautiful appliqué and patchwork techniques to cotton and silk fabrics and make items such as cushion covers, handbags and placemat sets.

The products are unique and high quality which has helped them earn an international reputation, especially for their patchwork quilts. The success of the program has created a demand for products and more women are joining the program daily. The women are organized into four Self Help Groups which give the women greater control and decision making over their work. PYDS provides the women with free working capital, management, designs, infrastructure and tranportation. The program also includes healthcare benefits, a security fund for issuing loans and an English and Computer Training Course for those who are preparing for a professional career.

Yuva Shakti

In addition to a focus on women empowerment, PYDS works to educate and provide support to over 140 children and youth in the village where they work. The society provides the children with scholarships to go to good English Medium Schools in the city and then they return to their Learning Center in the village after school for help with their studies and development. Over 13 teachers and 10 staff work with the children to provide holisitic support that includes a daily meal, attention to nutrition and healthcare, career and personal development. The society also has an education program for young children and an English and Computer course for Young Adults in the community. The society survives off of donations and child sponsorship. You can also participate in their Fund A Meal and Healthcare Scheme by paying $35 to sponsor a daily meal for the children. After my experience working with PYDS, I can say that they're doing true, honest work for the community. I can verify that your donation will directly help to benefit the children they work with. Sponsor a Child or Fund A Meal today!

Get Involved with Our Project

We are currently buying from different artisan groups and fair trade organizations in India and selling their products in the West. In an effort to raise support for their work and fundraise for the Gujjar Project, we are currently supplying student organizations, churches and community groups in the U.S. with handicrafts produced by established artisan groups here in India for hosting a sale in their community. The project is a unique way to connect handicraft producers in India with consumers in the West and develop support for a new movement of social responsibility and ethical consumerism.

Why Host a Sale?

• Develop support for handicraft artisans and fair trade producers from underprivileged communities in India who are using their handicraft as a way to sustain their livelihood
• Help develop financial support for the Gujjar Project and community development in India
• Raise funds for your organization; a percentage of the proceeds are given to the host organization

Below are a list of the type of products. Additional info about the artisan groups are available on the blog.

Products include:

• Handbags, purses and toilet bags
• Silk scarves
• Hand woven woolen scarves, stoles and shawls
• Knitted stocking caps, scarves and socks
• Paper mache painted boxes
• Greeting cards made from recycled paper and Himalayan dried flowers
• Jewelry
• Cushion Covers
• Placemat Sets
  
  

The Artisans and their Work

We’re primarily working with artisans who are producing handloom and handicraft items. The groups are spread throughout North and West India and vary between large and small operations. Craft work in India is a long tradition and many people in rural communities sustain their livelihood by conserving the local handicraft. India is known for their handicrafts and brightly colored hand printed textiles. The crafts and fabrics are produced using various techniques and natural resources, most of which are unique to the state or tribe in which the product is produced. Some products contain hand stitched patchwork and embroidery, while others are made from natural plants, like bamboo or jute. Many groups in the Northern Himalayan Mountains use lamb's wool to weave together shawls and carpets or hand knit scarves and blankets. While men also participate in some artisan groups, the majority are women. As a male dominated society, women in India are often expected to serve as housewives and have little opportunity for education. The projects teach the women a skill which enables them to become income earners in their household, helping to build their confidence and respect in the community. The projects not only help the women earn an income to care for their poor families, but also help to empower and strengthen their voice and status in the society.