Are you interested in traveling to India? Please visit this section for more information.
Handmade Expressions promotes high quality, fashionable, hand-crafted goods created by artisans in India. Their goods are sourced through fair trade and they partner with grass-root level NGOs/ artisan cooperatives, and help them create products that are tailored for international markets and provide them with sustained employment. The artisans produce art forms native to their regions and use natural dyes and fiber materials wherever possible. Some of the artisan groups live in regions that have been devastated by drought or earthquakes and income from this art is significant for the region's development. The majority of the artisans they work with are women.
Their mission is to create a global community for sharing traditional rural artwork with urban cultures across the world. Their work preserves beautiful art forms and provides a dignified social standing for the artisans. By connecting the artisans with customers, they cultivate respect for their art and talents.
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Pacha World is a Fair Trade organization dedicated to working towards economic justice through educating consumers about the importance of purchasing Fair Trade products. They are increasing consumer awareness about corporate exploitation to end the use of sweatshops while
building producer relationships worldwide to bring the public Fair Trade products to support people living under the poverty line.
Pacha World works directly with producer group in India, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghathan (KMVS), which is a collective of rural women located in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Striving for socio-economic and political empowerment, the over 4,000 KMVS members have come together to form self-sustaining producer groups. Thanks to their sustained efforts over the past decade, these women have helped each other, their families and their communities extricate themselves from a vicious downward spiral of commercial exploitation by middlemen and traders, being forced to become daily or piecework laborers--some even abandoning their traditional occupations.
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"Sevya" means caring through service; caring for humanity and for the environment we live in. Sevya is a not-for-profit company that is dedicated to preserving the indigenous art forms of India by supporting the artisan communities who uphold these traditions.
All Sevya products are hand-made with the finest natural fibers and materials. The revenue earned through marketing these products is used to fund need-based development programs throughout India, under the auspices of the All India Movement for Seva. (www.aimforseva.org)
Sevya works with artisans throughout India to enhance their marketing capacity and preserve the traditional and eco-friendly methods of handicraft production.
The handicrafts marketed through Sevya represent ancient art forms, and some products take several months to produce. These traditions stem from a culture that values inner leisure. Without this inner leisure, it is not possible to create these intricate and exquisite handicrafts. Sevya works to preserve these art forms as well as the culture that creates and sustains them.
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The mission of WorldFinds is to create beautiful, unique, inspired products that sell on their own merit, while simultaneously helping to improve the lives of the artisans involved. WorldFinds imports an eclectic array of women's accessories and gift items from India, Nepal, and Indonesia. We take pleasure in finding and designing a collection of exceptional items for the style-conscious and socially conscious consumer. We work directly with all of our artisan groups, and take the time to educate them about current trends in the US marketplace, partner with them to develop new designs, share knowledge and discuss ongoing issues to continually improve our products.
WorldFinds partners with fair trade organizations, self-help groups, and small families of artisans that strive to make a difference in their communities. These organizations have made a commitment to social welfare and provide many services to their producers including: ongoing education and training, health care services, subsidized meals, day care, schooling, and AIDS awareness.
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MarketPlace, Handwork of India, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering low-income women to bring about changes in their own lives by providing them with increasing economic opportunities. MarketPlace works directly with 14 co-operatives, consisting of 480 artisans in India who produce high-quality women's apparel.
MarketPlace India aids women in India to experience independence and self-confidence, enabling them to explore different aspects of their lives. By achieving economic stability the women MarketPlace begin to find the courage to question age-old traditions and beliefs, and to develop their own opinions, values, and dreams.
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The All India Artisans and Craft Workers Welfare Association (AIACA) objective is to ensure the growth and continued vibrancy of the Indian handloom and handicraft sector.
AIACA brings together leading private businesses and non-profit organizations to investigate market-led, commercially sustainable approaches to helping crafts producers. Today AIACA's members, totaling more than 76 organizations from across India, represent approximately 70,000 rural craftsworkers. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of these members, AIACA has had great success in improving the lives of Indian artisans.
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to Global Exchange Fair Trade Program
