Artisan Impact: India - Madhya Kalikata Shilpangan Partnership

Madhya Kalikata Shilpangan markets hand-crafted products made by skilled Indian artisans living in poverty. Your purchase preserves traditional Indian handcrafts, ensuring talented artisans can earn a living and get a fair price for their work.

Since its inception in 1994, Madhya Kalikata Shilpangan (MKS) has used fair trade principles to actively promote the products of skilled but underpaid artisans in India. Based in Kolkata, the organization offers marketing, design, and export services to grassroots artisan groups, many living in the poorest neighborhoods of the city. Ensuring critical income and communities for artisans, they also provide education and vocational training so existing artisans and newcomers can upgrade their skills and income, and learn about global product trends and markets. MKS also supports silk weavers in rural India struggling with the declining silk market, many who have learned their craft from parents or grandparents. Today MKS works with 26 artisan groups, representing over 300 individual artisans working in silk, stone, and leather.