“I decided to stand besides my husband since two earners are better than one”.

Sangeeta Kumari is one of the beneficiaries of Kaargah – an initiative of Thar Foundation which allows rural artisans in Sindh specifically Thar earn a decent living by selling their handicrafts at reasonable prices by removing the middle man. Kumari supports her family of 6 members by putting her skills to work for Thar foundation by producing loi, a traditional woven fabric famous in Sindh for its colors and handwork and often sued as a drape by men and women alike.

• Although Kumari did not have any previous experience, her husband Khet Kumar, acted as her mentor and trained her in the art of weaving loi and other traditional handicrafts such includes cushions, quilts, sheets (chaddars) and clay pots (gallas). Each master piece requires almost 8 hours of hard work a day on loom and Kumari manages to produce one loi in 2 days whilst also managing other household chores. Kumari is jubilant that she has found a responsible customer in Kaargah and aims to become one of the finest Loi makers in Thar and secure a brighter future for her family and children by sending them to school and institutes of higher learning.

• Sangeeta Kumari is one of the many beneficiaries of Thar Foundation’s initiative Kaargah launched with the tagline “From Thar – With Love”. The program aims to protect not only the craft of Thari artisans by providing them with capacity development programs but also safeguard their interests by giving them market competitive prices for their products and eliminating exploitation from the middle man. The Kaargah initiative is in line with Thar Foundation’s vision to implement UN Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.
• You can also purchase Kaargah products from Daraz.PK

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