Women have long been an influential part of the fashion world. Especially in a developing nation like India, women make up 85-90% of the labor force in sweatshops and unfortunately, based on a report by The Good Buy, as a woman gets older in age, her pay decreases too. But, over the past few years, as we’ve seen big designers like Anita Dongre get behind sustainability and empowering artisan communities, many other cooperatives and organizations have been empowering women of the developing world across multiple industries. Here are 5 organizations that are working with women artisan cooperatives that you should support this Women’s Day!
Sadhna works with women in and around the rural areas of Udaipur in Rajasthan. Sadhna has been around since 1988 and has since been teaching women skills like patchwork and embroidery so they can earn an income and take charge of decisions for their families.
This is a group of four different cooperatives that comprises of over 6,000 women across India in the Uttar Pradesh region to create gorgeous jewelry. This organization not only works with Indian women, but also works with women in Peru, Vietnam, and Ethiopia, amongst a few other countries. Fair Anita helps women with earning more wages, starting their own businesses, and education opportunities.
Short for Women Artisans Rehabilitation Enterprise, this organization was started to offer local women in Mumbai employment opportunities, as it can be difficult to find work in such a large city. The cooperative consists of 22 women who do tailoring and embroidery work, along with helping run the operational aspects of the business.
Started in 2003 by Stacey Edgar, this organization works with over 100 women’s organizations in over 30 countries. Global Girlfriend empowers women by providing them employment opportunities in addition to healthy and safe working environments and the chance to start their own businesses. Just a browse through their site and you will find almost everything you might need!
The Self-Employed Women’s Association started in Gujarat in the 1970s and since has grown to be one of the largest women’s cooperatives in India. Since the organization started, they have been empowering women across multiple industries, not only textiles. As of 2016, SEWA’s membership was reported as nearly 1.5 million women.
Keep giving in style!
Team SFD
