IndiaCSR News Network
BANGALORE: Embodying the spirit of entrepreneurship and grass root empowerment, Rang De a social initiative that provides low cost loans has announced its partnership with Charaka – a women’s co-operative that produces handmade, naturally dyed apparel and provides women with livelihood opportunities in Karnataka. Through this effort Rang De will work towards partnering with Charaka in propagating their efforts and towards making them more self-reliant.
The significance of this partnership is to empower the handloom weavers’ community in Karnataka which has been struggling to survive in the industrial era. Both Charaka and Rang De see this as a first- step in providing access to financial support via social investments for the handloom sector.
Adds Ram NK, Founder, Rang De, “It is our constant effort to identify and support underserved communities in our country. Lack of access to credit is a big impediment to the unbanked. Rang De partners with self-help groups to groom and nurture them in their journey. We have found that very often just small contributions can make a considerable impact in helping several entrepreneurs realize their dreams with the right guidance.”
The Rang De – Charaka partnership marks the beginning of a new era in the handloom sector and dovetails well with the ‘Handloom Satyagraha’ that’s been initiated by the All India Federation of Handloom Organization on January 1st, 2014 with the objective to resist mechanization of the handloom industry. Some of the demands of the Federation are- non-mechanization of handlooms, putting a halt to introduction of power- looms into handloom clusters, implementation of Handloom Reservation Act etc. Rang De is the first organization to have approached the weaving community with a guarantee of social investments to further their work.
“The most significant aspect about Charaka is the work it has done in the field of natural dyeing. Unlike other ventures in natural dyeing, Charaka has focused its attention on cost effective production and some of the natural products have become as inexpensive as chemical dyed ones. We hope our partnership will further empower these women to popularize and to capture the market that it truly deserves,” says Mr. Ram NK.
Date: 13th February
Time: 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm
Venue: Rangoli Metro Art Centre
About Rang De
Rang De is a pioneering web based social initiative that supports low income entrepreneurs and students with access to low cost loans. Started 6 years ago, Rang De – a non profit initiative strives to make access to affordable credit a reality by reaching out to underserved communities across India. In its journey so far, Rang De has disbursed over 20 crores to 28000 low income households across India.
The uniqueness of the Rang De Model does not stop there. Rang De sources capital from the civil society. Individuals can contribute as little as Rs.100 to support a specific entrepreneur or student. So far, close to 6000 individuals have joined Rang De in their mission to fight poverty.
The event: The Rang De Charaka partnership launch marks a formal kick off of the partnership along with the story of both the organizations and the significance of supporting such organizations.
About Charaka
Charaka is a women’s multipurpose industrial co-operative society situated at Bhimanakone Village on the Western Ghats of Southern India. It is a small but significant success story. It produces naturally dyed cotton handloom garments in a composite handloom unit in Bhimanakone. Readymade garments produced hear are sold in cities like Bangalore, Mysore, Dharwad and Shimoga at retail outlets under the brand name DESI. These garments are much sought after by the young and the old, men and women.
