In 2016 with seed funding from Sprout Enterprise®, a group of Rabha Women Weavers were trained and supported with design development and marketing of their handwoven textiles. The 16 Rabha women are from Garo Basti in Rajabhathkhawa, and Mendabari and Andu forest villages in Chilapata forest division in Alipurduar district of West Bengal, India. A local production coordinator for the association managed purchase of raw material, production schedules, quality control and arranged collection and transport of finished goods during the nine months of the initial project.  

Nearly 10 years later, these Rabha women are still earning an income from weaving, and have been joined by other women weavers from these remote forest communities. The group is marketing their handwoven textiles in local markets and through an affiliation with Banglanatak.com

Our partner in India for this enterprise initiative was the Foundation for Rural Recovery and Development, (FORRAD), a support organization for smaller grass root groups, working nationwide in India in the field of rural development since 1980.  Sarmistha Lahiri, founder and secretary of Hast Karigar Society, was the project consultant hired by FORRAD to implement the project.