From Local Market to Thriving National Marketers: Thari Women Partner with Kaarvan Crafts
Sample of the type of bags made by Thari tribal women in Pakistan.
Photo: CWS
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The Food Security Project in the Tharparkar region of Pakistan got a shot in the arm when its Thari tribal women-managed handicrafts program gained access to a national marketing outlet provided by Kaarvan Crafts. Kaarvan Crafts is a non-profit organization that works on behalf of women's welfare, and networks with organizations like CWS-Pakistan and the Participatory Village Development Program (PVDP), a local partner in Thar.
The project started three years ago in the Thar desert--in the Sindh regions of Pakistan--aiding low-income farmers spiraling deeper into debt as they fend off money lenders and the devastating effects of persistent droughts. One hundred Thari women--most of them wives of the farmers--supplement their families' incomes with the handicraft support.
CWS explored the market possibilities of handicraft items produced by the women, and helped to link them with Kaarvan Crafts as business partners. Kaarvan Crafts consigns the products--belts, bags, and shirts (kurtis) from Thar--to four outlets in the cities of Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi.
Initially, the orders were small, consisting of 10 to 15 bags or belts. Now, with the help of Kaarvan Crafts, the Thari women are producing and selling more items, and adhering closer to fashion trends prevailing in the big cities. Since July of 2005, the women have made more than 337 embroidered products. This translates into additional income, allowing the women to bring more food to their family tables. In a country that has more than 50 million people living below the national poverty line, an additional dollar a day can spell survival.
This project is supported by the Presbyterian Hunger Program and the Disciples Week of Compassion through CWS.