JULAHA’S MISSION
Structural adjustments resulting of the integration of an economy in the global trade system harms most traditional activities, notably handloom. The weavers are today 6.5 million in India and the majority lives in extreme poverty, with a daily remuneration of 1 USD. Traditions of exception are also vanishing under the pressures of market forces and a world heritage is under threat.
JULAHA’s mission is :
- to alleviate in a sustainable way the poverty of the more distressed populations of weavers through capacity building, facilitation of market access, and social and environmental initiatives.
- to revive traditions and ensure their endurance through the set up of a teaching programme for the new generations of weavers.
- to support the definition of cluster development policies through research.
The impact of JULAHA activities will be assessed yearly, in order to evaluate the empowerment of the weavers and the clusters’ progresses. These assessments and JULAHA experience in knowledge and know-how transfer will provide the empirical basis for researchers and the working out of cluster development policies.
Design and product development capabilities are strengthened with workshops that build the weavers’ product and market awareness, and support production diversification. The approach puts particular emphasis on reviving traditional designs and on generating an autonomous product development process.
Marketing and management know-how is improved by the organization of workshops that introduce the weavers to new approaches and methods, as well as to international standards, notably quality and environmental norms.
Market access is facilitated with the development in common of promotional material (catalogues, web portal) and of links with strategic media, and with the provision of human and financial resources to enable the weavers’ participation in fairs and events, notably abroad. The traders adhering to the collaboration conditions set by JULAHA also benefit from the latter support, as well as from JULAHA’s action in product development. JULAHA also undertook to distribute the production of the weavers worldwide in order to secure new market linkages, in accordance with its principles of redistribution and equity.
Social initiatives encompass health and education issues, and also the empowerment of women.
Fair trade is the focus of workshops outsourced to Asha Handicrafts, Indian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) active in the domain for more than 30 years.
Retired master weavers are recruited to revive the craft and train apprentices and weavers. Apprenticeship packages are offered to young people to study and learn the art.
Once the skills necessary to the autonomy of the weavers of a particular cluster are acquired, JULAHA pulls out of the concerned territory while ensuring the take over of the activities closely related to handloom by local services suppliers.
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