YRD’s design training helps J&K women artisans reach different markets

This news article from Rishing Kashmir news details the product design training workshop organised by Yakjah Reconciliation and Development Network, a non-profit social innovation working for youth peacebuilding leadership and women’s empowerment, for women artisans of Jammu & Kashmir. The training was facilitated by Piyush Suri, Founder and Creative Director of Handmade in Britain, the leading organizer of Contemporary craft fairs in the UK since 2007. The training held in December 2022 in Srinagar and Jammu is part of a project that takes into account the visual and material cultures of regions and aims to understand these cultures to explore their potential as the starting point for discussions about livelihood and peace. In India, the project lead Ashima Kaul, Founder Yakjah along with her team of researchers and community mobilizes Akshay Kumar Sharma, Urzeeba Bhat, Anamika Bharti, Aamir Ganaie, Zakir Hussain and Tanya Bhat envisions to focus on women artisans livelihood and policy impact. The training brought together 12 Kashmiri women, six Kashmiri Pandit women artisans from Jagti refugee camp doing Aari work (Crewel) and six from Srinagar doing Sozni embroidery. In Jammu, 11 Basohli artisans from Basohli, Kathua and Jammu city participated in the workshop. The aim of the workshop was to allow women to explore and understand color combinations, designs, patterns and texture. The artisans also experimented with different fabrics and mediums. The idea is to support, promote and empower them to reach out to different markets to sell their innovative products which will be exhibited next year in India and the UK. The project will look into developing women’s sustainable livelihood and impacting policy. As such Yakjah envisages collaboration with multiple stakeholders to enhance women artisans’ productivity and livelihood.
RK News (2022) YRD’s design training helps J&K women artisans reach different markets; Rising Kashmir News