THREADS - The NGO
Who are WE?
With its roots embedded in the rural Bengal, THREADS is a charitable organization working for women empowerment in rural Bengal and restoration of one of the oldest forms of handicrafts that has been a part of rural households in the Bengal region since ages – The art of Kantha embroidery.
These embroidered quilts of Bengal dates back to half a millennium, and have been passed on generation after generation from one woman to another. Kantha is a craft that was practised by many Bengali women till the mid-20th century and is one of the oldest upcycling techniques. Using old sarees and dhotis, which would otherwise be thrown away; women would pull out the colourful threads from the border to embroider their imagination into beautiful motifs and designs. The Kantha culture in Bengal showed a gradual decline in the late 1900s and early 2000.
THREADS has been working in the belts of rural Bengal to educate underprivileged women on this craft and promote the craft globally. Kantha making was never a full-time occupation for women in rural Bengal. It was a source of recreation done during leisure. THREADS help women become financially empowered by creating viable employment and turning their passion into their profession. THREADS started its journey in 2001 and was officially registered as an NGO in 2007.
Our Mission
Since the very beginning of THREADS, our focus has been two things.
We want to upskill women in rural Bengal and help them be financially empowered. We also want to encourage and educate the future generation to get associated with the cause.
And we want to restore and revive traditional Kantha artistry and promote the Kantha culture of Bengal, globally.
What we DO?
We teach Kantha embroidery to underprivileged women from the rural communities free of cost. Every year more women artisans get added to our team. After they complete their training, they receive regular work from our organization. We have a small design team (Moumita being the head and heart) which is dedicated to creating new designs and products.
We also serve as a bridge for our women artisans to get connected to that market space where their artistry will get the right appreciation. Their handmade products are now available in various retail outlets across India, and are also exported outside India through recognized export houses, and have been accepted and invited to various national and international exhibitions. We also have our own identity, we go by the name Ka-pore by Moumita, where we showcase their artistry.
OUR Journey so far…
THREADS started its journey in 2001 under a project of World Bank, where THREADS was selected as a trainer for skill development of Below Poverty Line women in rural Bengal. Around 150 women were trained in hand embroidery, handloom weaving, block printing and batik techniques. When the training ended the challenge began to create employment for these women. With a small workshop of 120 sq ft, THREADS started its journey in a small town in Bengal, Barddhaman, to connect these artisans and endorse their work in the right market space while developing designs which apply the traditional techniques and yet so contemporary.
Women belonging to below poverty line are trained here kantha stitch free of cost . Around 850 women from 110 villages of Burdwan District have been trained by us. Most of these women are full-time homemakers. Very few are unmarried and pursuing studies. For them, Kantha is a form of diversion from their daily chores. And with the help of THREADS, they are able to become financially independent from their recreation.
One major challenge that the NGO faces is to make these women not give up their passion for Kantha. Many women drop out every year because of increasing household chores, or after getting married and shifting to a new village, or because they lack the support from their family. Most village women are not allowed to travel outside the village alone. So, as more women are added to the community every year, some also leave the community. THREADS has been working to change this scenario and help women understand the importance of financial freedom while not neglecting their family duties.
To reduce the number of drop outs we have started a campaign where our women artisans do not have to come to us but we send our trainers to their villages and they are taught this craft from the comfort of their homes. After completion of their learning, they then receive the work, material, threads, understanding of the work and also the payment directly at their door step.
Along with giving them the Kantha training, we have also started organising health and hygiene awareness, legal aid, and awareness on managing personal finance sessions with them. We help them open bank accounts and encourage them to save under the Post Office Savings scheme.
SUSTAINABILITY
THREADS believes in creating livelihood while conserving and improving the local craft. The traditional textile techniques of rural India are uniquely indigenous, sensible to local ecology, and promote local livelihood.
But these crafts are facing major challenges from the industrialization of textiles. The returns from these crafts have not inflated at per with the economic inflation. The availability of work in these sectors has also been reduced. This has decreased the interest of the next generation to join in and pick up such crafts.
THREADS encourages indigenous textile techniques and the use of local resources for its products from various other textile communities while extending its support towards them. All fabrics used are produced and sourced locally which are made from natural yarns and are handmade in handlooms of rural Bengal. We work with- cottons, silk, tussar, linen fibres, and sometimes experiments by mixing two or more types of yarns to make the fabric and completely restricts itself from using machine-made or polymer-based fibre and fabric. While all the surface embellishments are taken care of by our women artisan team.
Our STORY to tell…
In the year 2008, THREADS received a grant from German Consulate, Kolkata to support the initiative.
In 2011, Mrs. Moumita Dey, the founder of THREADS was invited to the United States under their International Visitor Leadership Program, to attend a three-week program on small business development for her contribution towards livelihood generation in rural communities of Bengal.
We also had the privileged to host Kantha Workshop for the students of University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, for three consecutive years. The students from UNSW’s Art and Design department came to our organisation to have a practical understanding of the craft.
During their stay, they were taken through all the steps from design development to surface embellishment.
Organise your KANTHA Workshop with us
Would you also like to organise a Kantha workshop with us?
We would love to help out. We have 3 programs:
- Understanding Bengal Kantha:
It is a single day program, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., divided in three parts:
A Short discussion on History of Bengal Kantha followed by kit distribution and display of some Kantha masterpieces.
An experience on design transfer on fabric surface from our design gallery as the base blueprint for Kantha embroidery.
Understanding and practice of the widely used “Kantha Stitch” of Bengal Kantha.
- Beginners guide to Kantha Stitch:
It is a two-day basic course in Kantha Stitch.
The first day there is a panel discussion on History of Bengal Kantha followed by kit distribution and display of some Kantha masterpieces. The same day the students develop their own designs on the fabric from their Kantha kit.
The second day students are taught how to do basic combinations using threads and variations of the “Kantha Stitch” which they then practice on their own design.
- Learning the variations of Bengal Kantha:
It is an extensive three-day Kantha Stitch program.
The first two days are similar to our two-day Kantha Program.
On the third day students are given an in-depth knowledge and practice of such Kantha stitches which are old and rare and are slowly getting lost.
If you wish to connect with us regarding organising Kantha workshop for members of your institution, please connect via mail at threadsngo@gmail.com.
How can YOU help?
Help spread the word
We are small a small town in Bengal and we are trying to make a difference with the little resources we have. The best way you can help us is by connecting us with likeminded people, personnel, organisations and institutions you think can help us spread our wings.
Visit us
We would love you to come visit us at our registered office address. It is an office space with our workshop and an area for product display. We would love to show you what we do and how we are making a difference. Bring your family and friends. Share about us in your social media pages and help us share our story more people.
Shop
Ka-pore by Moumita is the name we go by for our products. Any direct purchase you make from us is an investment towards the mission we are set at. You can find our products in this website and also through the social media pages of Ka-pore by Moumita. Please like and follow our social media handles so that we are more visible.
Donate
Our NGO is registered under 12A and 80G certification (please note that we can take national donations as tax deductible write offs). Any form of monitory help from your end is used for providing training to more rural women. If we have funds, we are able to travel to further places, have more trainers specifically dedicated to this mission, and is also able to help our trainees by arranging better awareness sessions and even help them with any kind of medical/legal/educational aid.
You can also help by adopting a new village where we can start our training centre and help take this mission forward.
If you wish to connect with us, please write to us at threadsngo@gmail.com.
CONTACT
THREADS NGO
46 Kalibazar Aamtala,
Burdwan West Bengal, 713101
Mail ID: threadsngo@gmail.com
Registration no.: SO145294
Pan no: AADAT4885G