Many grass root artisans still follow outdated& manual production techniques. This results in unnecessary drudgery, low efficiency, fatigue and increased wastages. By minimizing physical toll on artisans, there is an increase in productivity and efficiency. They can produce more goods and services in less time, contributing to economic growth. With saving of time & ener...Read More
Artisan health & safety is often neglected at the grassroots level due to lack of awareness & limited resources. Sometimes, the artisans may not be fully aware of the potential hazards and risks associated with their work, or, due to limited financial resources, safety measures take a back seat.
Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach that invol...Read More
Infrastructure plays a crucial role in supporting and enhancing the livelihoods of grassroot artisans. It not only improves their economic prospects but also contributes to social, cultural, and environmental sustainability. Most artisans engaged in traditional handicrafts & micro-scale manufacturing, often have limited resources and minimal access to modern facilities. The...Read More
SETU strives to empower the lives of the differently-abled so as to help them live with dignity and confidence.
Vocational training plays a crucial role in empowering special needs youth by skill development, fostering independence, overcoming societal barriers, and promoting social inclusion. By providing opportunities for personal and professional growth, vocational traini...Read More
SETU is associated with a no. of pottery artisans, including terracotta & blue pottery. We have helped their crafts to reach international levels by capacity building, quality improvement, design & functionality upgradation, installation of upgraded machinery, integrating new technology, training workshops etc.
One of our blue pottery artisans is located in a small v...Read More
Terracotta pottery is one of the oldest traditional crafts all over the world, specially having an enormous cultural significance in India. It is also one of the most sustainable processes. Despite this, most potters are struggling hard to make ends meet due to low income. Market is mostly domestic & local. The product range is traditional, with very less value additions. D...Read More
SETU is committed towards the upliftment and development of artisan communities by providing a wide spectrum of help and support; be it infrastructural help, skill upgradation, capacity building, health and safety, social welfare, etc.
With continuous training & marketing support from SETU, many artisan groups reach the stage where they need to expand their workshop &...Read More
Crafts like terracotta pottery have been taken for granted since ages. Not only the process is full of drudgery, but the net income of artisans is very low. Due to the fragile nature of terracotta and voluminous designs, the sale is limited to local markets only. SETU has upgraded these crafts to international standards and are providing sustainable livelihood to many artisan g...Read More
SETU is pledged towards all-round development of the artisan groups, with special focus on capacity building. This involves developing skill sets of artisans, market readiness training, upgrading technology & infrastructure, ensuring health & safety and so on….
One of the major strategies to enhance capacity building & increase self-sustainability of artisans i...Read More
SETU Society is continually committed for capacity building of their artisans in various spheres. To achieve overall development of the artisans, we organize workshops for their skill development, market readiness, physical wellbeing, awareness on critical issues and many other areas. In addition to this, we also support them by providing infrastructural help as and when needed...Read More
SETU Society believes in the holistic development of the artisans! Capacity building is of utmost importance when it comes to bracing up the artisans to become self-sustainable. They need to have all the essential tools & machinery and become competitive in terms of design, quality, price & productivity.
Many of our talented artisans, engaged in the making of sonorou...Read More
SETU strives to help our partner artisan groups by providing required infrastructural and skill related guidance and support whenever needed. One of our partner artisan groups in Hapur, U.P.is engaged in making beautiful wooden boxes & blocks carved with intricate and delicate designs. The group lacked the necessary infrastructure and was therefore unable to compete in mark...Read More
In a bid to improve their skill sets and productivity, SETU is always committed to support the artisans in every possible way. For this, we also conduct workshops and sponsor machinery items as and when required.
Our bone artisan group is engaged in making rare and beautiful jewelry & other artifacts' from bones. In the past, the group was facing a pollution problem at t...Read More
SETU is committed to support ecofriendly products and processes. For this, we support & encourage artisan groups to manufacture products using recyclable & sustainable raw materials and thus contribute towards reducing our carbon footprints.
One such group is a women’s Self Help Group based near Bharatpur, Rajasthan. SETU has trained these women to create beautiful...Read More
SETU is committed to improve the working conditions and processes of our partner artisans. Ensuring artisan health & safety is one of our primary objectives. And for this, we schedule regular team visits to our associated groups.
Last year, in the month of December-18, SETU team (including our CEO Rashmi Dhariwal) visited one of our partner artisan groups engaged in maki...Read More
s part of the artisan development program, SETU team visited our wood carving partner artisan group based near Bijnor, (U.P.) in the month of December 2018. The group is associated with us since many years and is engaged in making hand carved wooden products. Earlier, we had conducted skill upgradation workshop for the young artisans of the group, thus helping them becoming sel...Read More
With an objective to support the underprivileged artisan groups by providing them with required infrastructure & reduce artisan drudgery, SETU team had visited its wood carving artisan group based inU.P. in April 2018.
Upon interacting with artisans & assessing the work place, it was found that artisans lacked the basic infrastructure like work shed, machinery & ...Read More
The craftsmanship of Indian artisans in making beautiful pieces of jewelry is acknowledged worldwide. Also, because Indian men and women are so fond of adorning themselves with ornaments which makes the art of jewelry designing and producing, our forte. The artisans engaged in the production of silver jewelry belong majorly to west Bengal. With the changing scenario in modern t...Read More
With the objective of providing self-employment opportunities to the underprivileged women artisans, a training centre was started at the Sanjay Nagar slum area of Jaipur, about 4 months back. A lot of women here have already learnt various skills & are able to produce bags, buntings and a range of other home decor items. Looking at the interest of many women & to add m...Read More
SETU works with a number of artisan groups based in diverse parts of the country. Many of the artisans working in these groups come from lower income strata of the society and need help and support in a range of issues related to their work and family.
One such artisan group, based in Wazirabad, is working with us for the last five years. The female artisans are skilled in doi...Read More
SETU has been working towards the development of skill sets among the women artisans, thus empowering them to create a sustainable and dignified living for themselves. With this objective, a training center was started in the urban slum areas of Jaipur on 17th of October 2018.
The objective of starting the center in the slum area came out of the idea that majority of the wom...Read More
One of the major objective of SETU’s work spectrum is to help artisans improve their working conditions & work processes. The main motive is also to reduce human drudgery, & improve process efficiencies. There is also a need to optimize raw material & fuel consumptions & improve quality. These parameters are important to achieve all 3 aspects of sustainability...Read More
Since ages, different forms of craft work have been practiced in India and widely appreciated across borders. This is true for Indian silver jewelry & artifacts as well.. Indian men and women have an unmatched inclination towards gold and silver jewelry. Gold & silver are also passed on from generation to generation as heirloom collection!
However, with the changing ...Read More
Earth Day is observed every year on April 22nd worldwide. Various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.
At SETU, we celebrated the day in association with one of our partner artisan groups engaged in hand printing & dyeing work. The grou...Read More
To achieve the long term objective of empowering the women artisans by making them proficient in skill based work, SETU opened a tailoring centre at Malikpur Dhani. The women artisans are associated with SETU for the past many years and earlier have also been part of our learning initiatives project for the elderly, where the women have successfully learnt how to read & wri...Read More
At SETU, we believe in ensuring a safe, healthy and eco-friendly working environment for our partner artisans. This is very essential as the quality of environment in which the artisans work, directly & indirectly impacts their health. The craft work sometimes create dust and smoke that may have an adverse affect on the health of the artisans.
Similar scenario was observ...Read More
In addition to the socio-economic aspects, SETU also strives to ensure healthy & comfortable working conditions for the artisans. A lot of artisans still endure harsh working conditions due to lack of suitable resources and infrastructure. With our process of need identification, regular visits and continuous interaction with artisans, SETU tries to identify such deficienci...Read More
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. SETU celebrated the occasion with the underprivileged women artisan community of Barmer, Rajasthan engaged in embroidery and appliqué work. SETU is associated with the artisan community since past many years.
The artisans of the region are facing an acute shortage of electricity which is hampering their qualit...Read More
With the objective of making underprivileged women self sustainable and spreading awareness on the importance of education, SETU has been running 2 education centres for the women, especially focussing on adult education i.e., providing education to the illiterate women in the age group of 18- 50 years. Both the centres have been successfully running since over a year and the p...Read More
Sponsoring of technically upgraded furnaces
SETU works with numerous bell making artisans, which is their traditional craft and the sole source of livelihood generation. They have been practising this craft from ages. They make beautiful and sonorous bells that form an important part of our product line.
The traditional craft of bell making is a highly skilled & complex...Read More
Making Computer Education accessible to the artisans.. SETU focuses on the overall development of artisan groups and organizes a wide spectrum of need based development programs on a regular basis. One of the long term objectives of SETU is to make computer education accessible to the artisan groups & their families residing in remote village areas. Evidently, in today’s ...Read More
In the scenic landscape of Kashmir, one of the traditional craft forms practiced widely is Papermache, that comprises of making beautiful and functional products by recycling of paper. The craft form is the sole source of income for many of the artisan families in the valley.
As known to all, the region recently faced devastation caused by the floods in the past months and...Read More
SETU is associated with many women artisans doing appliqué and embroidery works, braving poverty as well as the harsh conditions of the Thar Desert region in west Rajasthan. Opportunities for livelihood and development are low. SETU tries to make them self-sustainable by partnering with them and helping them to develop new products & providing marketing platform for the pr...Read More
Bell making is a traditional craft of the Muslim Luhar community residing in the Kutchh region of India. The art form is the sole source of income for the majority of the local population here. The work is carried out by the entire family involving women artisans also.
In order to make these artisans self sustainable and to provide them a market platform , SETU has partnered...Read More
We are associated with artisans engaged in hand block printing of cotton fabric, especially in the desert areas of Rajasthan. This is their traditional art followed from generations and is their main source for livelihood. During printing of the fabric, ample quantity of water is being used & wasted depending upon the volumes. ( 5 ~20 million liters/ annum). This is a wasta...Read More
(24th March 2011)
Installation of solar lights in 100 households in the desert areas of Rajasthan (near Indo- Pak Border)
Our much awaited solar light project took final shape on 24th of March 2011. It was way back on our last visit to Rajasthan when the project was initialized.Under this project, 100 households were provided with solar lanterns in the remote villages of Ra...Read More
SETU team also visited our wood carving artisans of HSSS. Our beautiful earring stands, wood eyeglass holder and many other wooden products are made by this group.
We interacted with the artisans and tried to found out their problems while working. Most of the artisans are quite happy with their work reason being now they have more orders, i.e., more & regular work whi...Read More
The artisan group that creates all of our appliquéd products is scattered throughout several desert villages, far away from cities. Living away from modern infrastructure is challenging because there are no energy plants or cables for distributing energy nearby. This means that our artisans in these areas have no access to electricity.
SETU consortium has an ongoing project...Read More
