2.21% of the Indian population has one or the other kind of disability. This means 26.8 million people in India have a disability. Despite making up a considerable fraction of society, disabled persons are often mocked, humiliated, and disregarded by society all around the world. This results in disabled people often becoming a silent part of society, shoved away and practically hidden. With the lack of respect and regard, it is almost impossible for disabled persons to secur

India is among the world's largest producers of textiles and clothing. The textile industry in India is the only industry (after agriculture) that has generated huge employment for both skilled and unskilled labour. It offers direct employment to over 35 million people in the country. Yet despite the economic prosperity this industry has generated, the industry carries large environmental and social costs. This is largely tied to the growth of fast fashion and textile product

The Indigenous population of India comprises of an estimated 104 million people or 8.6% of the national population. Indigenous people all around the world experience discrimination and continuously more difficulty in living out their lives in their traditional means. Not only are the rights of indigenous people restricted but also their livelihoods are deprived from them as forest lands, which would help preserve natural species, are taken away for industrial use instead. In

In the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, amongst pine-covered hills, you'll find a cluster of small tailoring units. Setting up tailoring units far from the cities is a challenge as skills, equipment and materials can be hard to find. However, through patiently training the local villagers and bit by bit getting the equipment needed, the tailoring cluster of several hundred rural women is now set up to tailor and knit everything from bags to fashion garments. By usin

Sustainable development is not a quick fix, it is a long series of investments, training and changes made over time through many different resources being required. Our weaving partner in the central north part of India has been working for over 30 years to support rural development with a focus on generating employment and social development in marginalized communities. By use of the locally available raw materials such as Bheemal, Hemp and Nettle and by working with variou

India is home to more than 3,000 different types of artisan crafts. Estimates of the number of artisans working in India vary widely from 7 million individuals to as high as 200 million. The wide range of these estimates is indicative of the highly informal and unorganized nature of this work. However, this sector is incredibly important to marginalised rural communities in India and around the world. Keeping artisan traditions alive is also important for rural development, c

Is it possible to bring mountain farming communities back from the brink of abandonment? Our partners certainly think so, in Uttarakhand, India they are on a mission to fight poverty in Himalayan farming communities. Following years of natural disasters and climate change-related farming hardships, many farmers have left their fields, often seeking labour in cities and towns instead. This is breaking up families, communities and traditional ways of life. What if reviving cent

India's rich cultural heritage and centuries of evolutionary tradition are kept alive by 7 million artisans toiling every day to produce the huge variety of handicrafts made all over India. In central parts of south India, a group of highly skilled artisans are using a design thinking approach to make contemporary products using traditional methods. Providing fair jobs to the artisan sector in India is key to empowering many marginalised groups struggling for livelihood as ge

Globally, the volume of waste generation has increased rapidly over the last decades resulting in a massive issue of waste disposal and recycling, often being transported large distances and ending up being dumped in illegal waste facilities connected to slum areas. This is fuelling ocean pollution and killing more than a million people a year and even more animals. The level of corruption, exploitation of marginalized people, ocean, land and air pollution of our waste is bey

In the very southern tip of India, amidst the touristic Kanyakumari district, comes a humble initiative to produce world-class products using local bristle coir fibre. The vision is to create a cluster of small local brush makers who utilize local coconut, Palmera nuts and responsibly sourced local wood in creating natural and long-lasting brushes for various uses. This rural innovation can create both livelihoods and development while assuring a sustainable way of using loca