Transforming Lives Through Upskilling

In collaboration with Royal Rajasthan Foundation, 2020-23

To build a more equitable ecosystem for women by creating economic opportunities, we have joined hands with Royal Rajasthan Foundation in two initiatives namely Social innovation & Design Lab and Skill Development for Sustainable Livelihood.

The partnership is the result of a shared vision to create an empowered grassroot community where equality, justice, and peace prevail through a sustainable socio-economic development model. This is an attempt to provide opportunities to the hitherto obscure in this eon of uncertainty. The success of this initiative lies in the essence of originality and creativity it inculcates in the weavers.

Social Innovation Lab.

Artisans possess an incredible reservoir of creativity, and we recognize their potential to evolve from artisans to true artists. To unlock their artistic capabilities, we established innovation labs in our villages with the support of Royal Rajasthan Foundation (RRF).

The Social Innovation and Design Lab serves as a vibrant hub for women artisans and designers in rural clusters, fostering experimentation, knowledge sharing, and the generation of creative ideas. It enables artisans to explore their creative potential, design prototypes, and exchange insights on scalable innovations within the realm of crafts and design. This collaborative effort aims to sustain livelihoods in the villages and empower artisans with new skills and opportunities.

Our commitment extends beyond empowerment. We aspire to transform artisans into artists and rural entrepreneurs, empowering them to not only create their own designs but also market and sell their artistic creations. Through awareness campaigns, we emphasize the value of art, craftsmanship, and Indian artistic heritage, fostering a greater appreciation for these traditions.

In line with our goal of holistic development, we conduct digital literacy programs to introduce artisans to computer software relevant to rug designing, such as Photoshop, Corel, Galaincha, and Texcelle. By equipping them with these digital tools, we enhance their skill sets and broaden their creative horizons.

We are moving further ahead in enhancing the skills and empowering our artisans. Design workshops, product development training, and design thinking coaching sessions have become regular occurrences in select villages, nurturing the artistic abilities of artisans.

Together with the RRF, we strive for comprehensive engagement and skill development within our villages, fostering the empowerment of artisans and ensuring the longevity of Indian art and handicraft products. Through this collaborative endeavor, we aim to create a thriving ecosystem that supports the artistic and entrepreneurial journeys of our artisans.

While challenging the social norms and doctrines of classic design schools, the Social Innovation and Design Lab, brought the finest professionals of designing to the doorstep of the artisans and provided them with diverse experience of intersectionality which connects rural India to the global stage.

A lifetime of safe work

In collaboration with Corporate Rebel Foundation and SIDBI, 2021-Ongoing

Women in rural India are forced to move to big cities to make a living. They have to leave their families and start working in factories under poor working conditions. In order to give them better opportunities, we have partnered with Corporate Rebel Foundation and SIDBI to support women who live in villages to develop skills so that they can earn money with craftsmanship for the rest of their lives

Through this women are given an opportunity to have a lifetime of safe work.

Women Empowerment through Livelihoods and Leadership development

In collaboration with HCL Foundation, 2019-22

There are a multitude of factors that force the rural population to remain in the vicious circle of poverty. This is aggravated when they are surrounded by only a handful of opportunities at the grassroots which force them to migrate to far-flung cities. In order to fill these gaps, we have joined hands with HCL Foundation to upskill and empower the 608 women of Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh through which they learn hand-knotted rug weaving with a focus on skill and leadership development.

Sustainable Livelihood and Leadership Development Programme

In collaboration with Collective Good Foundation and HSBC, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have devastating impact on marginalized communities, whereas women face the highest degree of socio-economic marginalization. The COVID-19 outbreak has made a significant impact in the lives of rural women. Several women in rural India don’t have access to job opportunities or are indulged in unsecure work.

Craft can play an integral role in providing livelihood opportunities to the communities in rural villages. Jaipur Rugs Foundation in collaboration with HSBC and Collective Good Foundation aims to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to 80 women of Badaun, Uttar Pradesh who were economically impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.

Skill development training programme for Sustainable Livelihood

In collaboration with SIDBI, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the rural communities severely leaving them with no option to earn and move forward. In order to solve this instability, we partnered with SIDBI and carved an exclusive path for women to train them for a period of six months in hand-knotted rug weaving.

The intervention is aimed at addressing the effects of COVID-19 and providing skill sets that have the potential to fetch sustainable livelihood at the doorsteps of 24 women of Manpura, Rajasthan.

Jail Project

In collaboration with SIDBI, 2018-Ongoing

The world has been witness to an uncountable number of stories where art has been the healer, be it of society or its inhabitants. Imprisonment makes the everyday lives of families difficult, especially if the one incarcerated is the breadwinner. One way to change this destructive cycle is economic empowerment.

The Jail Project transcends beyond societal boundaries to teach the art of rug weaving to the inmates who are serving long sentences, creating sustainable livelihood for them to support their families.Through this initiative, the 220 prison inmates can forge a path that will see them through times to come, both good and bad.

Jaipur Rugs Foundation conducts several training, workshops for their socio-economic development which empowers them to sharpen their skills and mould their potential.

While learning to weave, inmates are encouraged to showcase their unexpressed creativity, which then adds to the prestige and prosperity of an individual if nurtured in the right way.

We also help them to open bank accounts to receive payments for their work directly which makes financial access easy for them and their family.

Artisan Engagement Program

A key differentiator at Jaipur Rugs Foundation is a keen focus in bringing dignity back to rug artisans. Artisan communities were disconnected from the business of their art and have felt no pride in their work. They had a very little idea about the impact they make through their work.

Artisans are now connected to the larger ecosystem, where they are able to understand the intricacies of the work they are involved in. Learning each step educates them to work more consciously, with a sense of ownership that results in the highest quality output.

The Artisan engagement program was created to nurture the creative capacity of our artisans and thereby empower them to fulfill their aspirations. There are two phases to this program.

In the first phase, workshops are conducted in the villages for all the artisans to be briefed on the entire supply-chain, and in the second phase, we invite the artisans for an Exposure Visit to experience the art they create at the Jaipur Rugs Head Office.

Through this engagement program, we aim to introduce rural artisans to the entire process of rug weaving and give them a rare perspective of the contribution they make. It aims at educating the artisans about the quality benchmarks, customer requirements and above all it gives them an opportunity to grow and receive global acclaim.

Bunkar Sakhi and Katwari Sakhi Training Programs

Artisans who have the ability to guide within their community and also have the desire to reach new heights, are given a chance to lead through this training program.

They become community mobilizers, check, maintain and improve the quality of work being done in the areas they supervise, but most importantly, go beyond the call of work in helping others nurture their potential, balance their work and home. With these women taking more leadership roles, more artisans are at ease and comfortable since they are from their own neighborhood.

‘Bunkar’ and ‘Katwari’ mean weaver and spinner respectively, and we combine the two words to show the origin and craft, alongside their unique leadership style. ‘Sakhi’ in Hindi means companion, and it’s how we refer to our rural leaders.

Reversing trends through Self-management

Be your own leader. – NK Chaudhary

To unleash entrepreneurial creativity in the artisans and to improve the challenges faced due to dependency on one another, with the guidance of our founder, NK Chaudhary we implemented self management in the grassroots of rural India.

This project is implemented in three phases:

1. Activities and Reflection Meetings : Artisans are involved in activities that require them to take part as a team. This involves activities like solving a puzzle, crossing a hurdle under the guidance of a team member when one is blindfolded.

Reflection meetings: Artisans are made to reflect on the activities to understand the importance of working as a team. This helps them to learn from each other and lead the discussions.

2. Team Formation: Artisans working on 4-5 different looms are brought together to form teams of 7-12 members. These groups visit each-others’ looms to review and give feedback on the targets decided earlier. Meetings are facilitated by the implementation team.

3. Follow-up: Implementation team continues to follow-up with the artisans on the progress of implementing self-management practices. Team facilitates the conversations in the groups and tracks their progress against the three targets of on-time delivery, zero-defects and zero-wastage.