Establishing a safe and reliable network of jobs – close to home.
The Artisan Villages project was designed in partnership with UKaid to bolster Nepal’s carpet industry by decentralizing the production from urban Kathmandu to more rural areas in the surrounding provinces.
During the first phase, 7 weaving workshops were established across Sarlahi and 490 local weavers – including 24 master weavers – were trained and skilled. The project expanded its focus during its second phase and created 1,500 reliable jobs for carpet industry artisans in rural areas with a decentralized network of carpet production, including dyeing, spinning, and carding.
Meet the Artisans
Jarina, 38, Malangwa
Jarina was born with a condition that affects her left eye and never had the opportunity to receive any formal education. She married at 19, but after about a year of marriage her husband went to work in India, remarried, and never returned. Jarina now lives in her own home and is the primary caregiver for her mother.
Jarina is a trainee in the Malangwa unit of Sarlahi. She used to have to work odd jobs to support her household but believes carpet weaving will provide her with a more stable source of income that will help improve her standard of living.
Surya, 40, Sarlahi
“I used to work as a migrant weaver in Lebanon. It was a struggle, but I managed to work there for 6 years. I had to work 24 hour shifts, so I eventually decided to return to my home country. I was hired at the Artisan Villages as a master weaver because of my skill. I said to myself, ‘Why would I miss such an opportunity?’ Weaving is my passion; I think it’s an art.”
Surya lives in Sarlahi with her husband and son.
Gyan, 41, Sarlahi
Gyan has been working in the carpet industry for more than a decade and lives with his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. He has two sons, one from his first marriage as well as an 11-year-old with his current wife. He and his wife used to work together as weavers in Kathmandu but stopped after the 2015 earthquake when they decided to return to Sarlahi, where they bought land and built a small home.
The couple supported themselves in the years that followed through agricultural work and with help from the remittance of Gyan’s elder son in Qatar. However, after hearing about a carpet workshop being set up near their home, they decided to return to weaving and enrolled their daughter-in-law in the Label STEP weaver training in Bagmati.
Get Involved
Learn more about our Certified Label
STEP Fair Trade Partners.
