From the pages of Images Retail (July 2009)

A Journey, Handcrafted!
By Sangita Ghosh

SEWA has been working with the women artisans in the rural areas of Gujarat since 1989, and its trading arm, STFC, has created a unique retail concept by the brand name of ‘Hansiba’. About 65 per cent of Hansiba’s revenues go to the member rural artisans of SEWA. “It is different from other retail outlets as it is owned by artisans who are the shareholders of Hansiba,” claims Mona Dave, CEO, STFC. Brand Hansiba is a revolution inspired by the craftsmanship of Hansibaben – the first rural artisan member of SEWA.

Backward integration
SEWA— Self Employed Women’s Association — started working as a registered trade union in 1972. Since its inception, the non-profit organisation has been working with the women in the unorganised sector towards their empowerment. SEWA comprises over 11,000 producer groups, 200 cooperatives and 11 federations from the villages of seven states of India. SEWA’s model is based on the concept of helping rural women to gain full employment and self-reliance in their lives.

Under the artisan support programme of SEWA, the team of artisan women has been organised based on their traditional embroidery skills. Over the years, the effort has also been to become a successful commercial business entity. “This thought was initiated by artisan women themselves in the 90s after observing the growth of the organised retail industry in India,” says Dave.

The artisan women realised the importance of organised trade, especially as a channel for traditional hand-crafted products. The concept of SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre was thus created with an eye not only on the domestic markets, but also on opportunities in global territories.


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