In Hindi ‘asha’ means ‘hope’ and this is what Asha Handicrafts brings to thousands of artisans throughout India. Asha was established in 1975 as a fair trade Christian organisation.
India, which is one of the largest handcraft-producing countries in the world, offers an almost unlimited range of crafts and products. However, these beautiful items can be produced in conditions of abject poverty, with craft workers in bondage to moneylenders.
Asha gives marketing support and technical assistance to groups of small producers and craftsmen and women. By purchasing directly from the workers and giving generous advances, they increase income levels and help groups become self-sufficient.
A team of Christian welfare workers are employed to help producers with business, concerns and issues.
Rafique Ahmed
Rafique Ahmed lives in the town of Saharanpur, central India. He is the creator of the popular Created carved-wood spectacle holder and the jigsaw cat box.
He used to struggle just to make ends meet, and he and his family survived on basic and irregular meals until he met Asha Handicrafts in 1997. Rafique was soon working an eight hour day, six days a week to produce orders for Asha.
Rafique now runs two workshops. He can afford to eat properly and is able to send his children to school. But this isn’t just the story of one man – the demand for goods means that Rafique can employ 15 people for most of the year.
To the people who buy his crafts he says, ‘I’m very grateful. It is because of this that I can support my family.’
To download a PowerPoint presentation (with script) illustrating the work of stone carvers in Agra, please click here.
To download a PowerPoint presentation (with script) illustrating the work of gemstone painters in Jaipur, please click here.
To download a PowerPoint presentation (with script) illustrating the work of Pink City potters in Jaipur, please click here.
(If you right-click your mouse when viewing the presentation and click "edit slides" the presentation script will appear at the bottom of the screen.)(If you right-click your mouse when viewing the presentation and click "edit slides" the presentation script will appear at the bottom of the screen.)