Most companies have a corporate responsibility division or set days in the year when teams and stakeholders promote community development through give back initiatives or even team building activities around a social cause. But what about for-profit companies for whom social responsibility and community development are at the core of their organization? It is not only part of their mission statement but also a huge reason for their existence.
Can doing good be a sustainable and profitable business model for a for-profit organization?
Today we shed light on one such company, Dastkar, that has been in existence in India since 1981. Dastkar is both an organization and a movement. It was established as a way to help local artisans, artisans and crafts to make quality goods and products and market them directly without the middleman. At its core, Dastkar is for the artists by artists. Dastkar has many branches all over India and each entity is independent owned and governed, not by the owner, but by the artisans and artists that are employed in the center.
An employed owned business model who’s primary focus is sustainability and profitability for the community and its members.
We were honored to spend time at Dastkar Ranthambore during our Creative India Travel Retreat in November 2018. Spending time with the women, speaking to them about their business goals as well as getting a first hand tour into how the center is run and managed gave us such great insight into the world of social responsibility on a community level.
From Ujwala Jodha, center-in-charge Dastkar Ramthambore,
Ranthambore National Park is one of the finest natural tiger habitats in the world and is the pride of Project Tiger in India. However when the sanctuary was created several villages were displaced to make room for an area for the tiger. The people in these villages not only needed guidance on how to resettle, but they also needed an alternate way of surviving as now they had lost all their farm lands and other means of livelihood.
In Spring of 1989, the Ranthambore Foundation invited Dastkar to set up an organization that would utilize the unique talents of the displaced villagers, especially women, and thus generate income for this region and provide sustenance to the community.
What started out in a tiny room in the Sherpur village, has now become a Rs.1 crore organization that has provided new means of livelihoods to these villages. With Dastkar, traditional craftsmanship is being adapted to changing trends in order to ensure their continuing existence and sustainability. Moreover, several people have gained financial independence which has enabled them to live better and more prosperous lives than they had ever imagined.
Dastkar Ranthambore was setup to
- To provide opportunity to artisans around this area.
- To work together with these people by training them to be skilled artisans
- To develop handmade products that fit (contemporary) market
- To inspire customers to value ethical consumerism
Dastakar Ranthambore’s mission is
To use craft production in improving the economic and social status of the villagers, who live near the Ranthambhore National Park—by providing new sources of income, paying fair wages, marketing their goods, and hence reducing their dependence on the forest.
Here is quick snippet of our visit to Dastkar Ramthambore and Mrs. Ujwala Jodha sharing her experience running the center for the past 21 years.
Sustainable Business In Rural India
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