BANGALORE (India CSR): Flipkart Foundation, the charitable arm of the Flipkart Group, in collaboration with the All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA), has announced the second phase of its programme aimed at building sustainable, women-led textile collectives in West Bengal and Gujarat. With a focus on creating sustainable livelihoods and fostering green entrepreneurship, this collaboration seeks to strengthen the creative economy by enhancing market access and ensuring socio-economic upliftment for women artisans in select areas across the two states.
Phase Two Expansion
Building on the strong outcomes of Phase I in Birbhum, West Bengal, the initiative has now expanded to Banaskantha and Gandhinagar districts in Gujarat. The programme will support the formation and growth of women-led artisan collectives through structured training, enterprise mentorship, and brand development. It will directly engage over 600 women artisans and benefit more than 3,000 individuals, including indirect beneficiaries. In West Bengal, the focus will be on scaling the market potential and long-term sustainability of an existing enterprise, while in Gujarat, two collectives will be supported through a comprehensive model encompassing skill-building, governance training, brand development & outreach, and linkages to finance and welfare schemes.
Corporate Affairs Perspective
Commenting on the launch of Phase II, Sarah Gideon, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, Flipkart, said, “Our collaboration with AIACA is rooted in a shared commitment to fostering inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods for women artisans. The success in West Bengal has demonstrated how targeted training, market integration, and sustainability-focused practices can transform local craft collectives. With the expansion into Gujarat, we are not only implementing a proven model, but also reaffirming our belief in the power of communities to lead change when given the right tools, resources and opportunities. This project is a step forward in building resilient, women-led businesses that can thrive in India’s growing creative economy.”
AIACA Leadership Insight
Meenu Chopra, Executive Director, All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association, added, “It has been a pleasure working with the Flipkart Foundation to support an artisan collective in West Bengal on its journey towards becoming a sustainable enterprise. The interventions were designed to ensure market-led growth of the enterprise, with socio-economic benefits accruing to the women artisans associated with it. Sustainable practices like zero-waste training were also undertaken to create a green value chain while sensitizing women artisans on the concept of environmental sustainability. The success of the West Bengal project has paved the way for implementing a similar initiative in Gujarat, reinforcing our commitment to replicating this model across artisan-based clusters/enterprises in India. We are thankful to Flipkart Foundation for being a valued partner in this journey of promoting sustainability of craft-based collectives and thereby empowering the women artisans associated with them.”
Artisan Capacity Building
The project will strengthen the capacity of women-led artisanal collectives through a structured set of activities, including baseline and endline assessments, formal registration of new collectives and strengthening of the existing collectives, and continuous mentorship in enterprise management and governance. These artisans will undergo training in product design, embroidery, stitching, and quality control to meet evolving market demands.
Brand Outreach Support
To support visibility and outreach, the programme will engage professional agencies for brand development and facilitate participation in exhibitions, as well as linkages to B2B and B2C platforms. A dedicated production fund will help collectives develop new product lines and build inventory for sales. The programme also focuses on enabling access to government schemes and financial services to secure long-term socio-economic support for artisans and their families.
Through this partnership, Flipkart Foundation and AIACA continue to champion community-driven development that bridges tradition with innovation.
(India CSR)
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