It all began with an aim of building financial resilience among women-led small craft businesses hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the ‘Backing Women Artisans’ program run by Delhi-based non-governmental organisation Dastkar in collaboration with American multinational financial services corporation American Express, is taking the economic empowerment of craftswomen across nine states in India to the next level by increasing their market visibility, providing them due recognition and enhancing their earnings.
The program has already made a positive impact on the lives of over 14,000 craftswomen.
Padmashri Ms. Laila Tyabji, Founder Member and Chairperson, Dastkar which works for the revival of traditional crafts in India, says, “At the end of phase one of our project, there was a clear need to address more than mere subsistence. For ultimate survival and sustainability, we needed to ensure that the hand skills of Indian craftswomen garner their rightful place in the Indian and international marketplace. For this, new product development and design was a primary necessity. We thank American Express for recognizing this need and continuing with their support with an additional grant of approx. INR 1 crore.”
The theme finalized for the phase two of the project was ‘AT HOME’ and included household products like soft furnishings, home accessories, art and wall hangings, basketry, and floor coverings. Twelve women-based craft groups with unique identities and a strong will to bring change were selected from across India. Four designers (Harpreet Padam, Puneet Kaushik, Rema Kumar, Sangeeta Sen) with over 25 years of experience and expertise in working with various craft techniques mentored and worked with each group over a period of nine months to produce ranges of 15 items each, including one show-stopper piece in each range.
The craft groups were introduced to design techniques like design thinking and colour theory, as well as rigorous quality control. This enhanced their understanding of creating unique, contemporary, and market-ready designs. They also benefited from learnings in costing and pricing, sizing, finishing and timelines, direct interaction with design professionals and understanding of consumer and market trends.
Vibha Bajaj, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Asia, American Express says that the program sought to honor, enable, and empower these women artisans, giving them their own place in the economic mainstream - as earners and entrepreneurs.
“We are strongly committed to women empowerment and backing small businesses. Our association with Dastkar has been very fulfilling and inspiring, where craftswomen have gained a new lease of life with increased earnings and self-confidence.” she said.
The AT HOME project led to the development of over 600 new products in 19 different craft skills that were designed and developed in the design development to final production process. Out of these, 361 were selected by the evaluation committee comprising Ritu Kumar, premier textile and fashion designer, Anita Lal of the GOOD EARTH chain of lifestyle stores, and Prof Jatin Bhatt, renowned accessories designer, former Head of the Accessories Dept, NIFT and Vice Chancellor, Ambedkar University for production.
In 2021, as part of its commitment towards ‘Building Financial Confidence’, American Express provided a grant of approx. INR 1 crore to Dastkar’s Artisan Support Fund to support Indian craftswomen impacted severely due to the pandemic with wages and raw materials.
“The project support has been a creative one which helped us brainstorm on making new scalable products for the wider market,” said Nilanjana Das, Founder, Action Centre for Transformation (ACT), a craftsgroup based in Haryana.
Over the last 35 years, Dastkar and Tyabji have worked with numerous crafts organisations and NGOs to use craft skills as a means of earning and empowerment. She is credited with revolutionizing the craft industry in India by developing a market for Indian crafts, modernising the artisans' skills, and acting as a link between the artisans and the buyers.
Dastkar operates on the policy of leaving the ownership of the goods to the artisans who produced them, retaining a small percent of revenue towards the operating costs. It provides the artisans with entrepreneurial training and assists them with credit, designs, and product development techniques. The organization has a producer group base of over 700 artisan groups, collectively comprising over 1 lakh craftspeople.
Dastkar has also been working with Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA), a similar non-governmental organization founded by renowned Gandhian Ela Bhatt, URMUL, Sandur Kushal Kala Kendra, Rangsutra, SASHA, Berozgar Mahila Kalyan Samiti, and many others.
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