Faith, culture and pilgrimage
Heritage, crafts and artisan livelihoods
Crafts do not die because people stop wanting the objects. They die because the artisan earns less than a construction labourer and does not pass the skill to a child who has watched him struggle.
So the intervention has to be income, not sentiment. We buy raw material in bulk so artisans are not squeezed on inputs, connect them directly to buyers, and take no commission on anything sold.
Alongside that we fund apprenticeships that actually pay, so learning a craft is a viable choice for a nineteen-year-old rather than an act of family duty.
How the programme works
- Bulk raw material purchase so artisans are not squeezed on inputs
- Direct buyer and exhibition access, with no commission taken
- Paid apprenticeships so young people can afford to learn
- Documentation of techniques at risk of being lost entirely
What your donation buys
- ₹8,000A month of a paid apprenticeship in a traditional craft
- ₹30,000Raw materials for an artisan collective for a season
- ₹1,00,000Exhibition and market access for twenty artisans
Questions about this programme
Do you take a cut of what artisans sell?
No commission, ever. We connect and support; the money goes to the maker. Our costs are met from donations, not from artisan earnings.
Can I buy directly from the artisans you work with?
Yes, and we prefer it. Write to us for introductions to collectives by craft and region.