Fair Trade Changing Lives in Thane, India

Arpan means "an offering to the Gods". The cooperative is located at Thane, about a two hour train journey from the MarketPlace: Handwork of India office in Mumbai. Although Thane is in an industrial belt, women are unable to get any employment in this area. Arpan was established on June 1,1999 and grew from a program that was initiated by CORP (Community Outreach Program), a non-profit organization working on community development, children’s education and health.

Achievements: All members of the cooperative participate and are very vocal. The management team rotates and everyone has learned that the decision-making process is about learning to discuss issues openly, dealing with disagreements, and allowing the group to come to a consensus before a decision is taken.

Future Goals: To have enough work to help the women meet their monthly living expenses; to train women in new skills; to develop good quality standards in both product and management, and to own their own workshop. Currently they operate from a space that is leased to them for a period of 22 months.