COMMACT : India

After the WCW conferences at Goa, Christchurch and Kuala Trengganu, two Founder Members of COMMACT from India, Noel D’Silva and the late Subhashini (‘Shabbi’) Kholi, spread the message of COMMACT to all parts of India. They organised a series of regional meetings in Bangalore, Mumbai, Udaipur and Calcutta to inform people about COMMACT.

In 1994 a National Meeting was held in Mumbai and the India Chapter of COMMACT was born. The India Chapter was registered in the same year.

Regional Meetings and Collaborations:

COMMACT India has four regions - North, West, South and East. Each region has its own meetings. Members of the region collaborate within the region and collaborative activities have taken place between regions. Most of the India members are people from the NGO sector engaged in People-Centred Development programmes. COMMACT India has organised workshops on Social Audit with the help of John Pearce (COMMACT UK) and COMMACT members in all the regions.

National conferences/workshops:

The chapter has organised two major National Conferences. In 1995, in collaboration with British Consulate in Kolkatta, a National Conference was organized in Kolkatta. The second conference was held in 2002 in Bangalore on “Globalization and its challenges”. Besides India members, COMMACT International Exco members from UK and Malaysia attended this conference. During these conferences, COMMACT India has held its AGMs.

Survey:

COMMACT India conducted a survey on the “Training Needs” of its members. The purpose was to set up a National Training Programme for NGOs.

Bursaries:

Members Devasmita Shridar and Luckose Jacob have benefited from COMMACT’s 3 month bursary scheme to make study visits to the UK.

Publications:

Member Joseph Scaria wrote a study of milk cooperatives in India that was published in the COMMACT PCD series. COMMACT India published a special News Letter in 2000 which had news and articles from India and international members. With the support of COMMACT International, Creative Handicrafts published its social accounts in 2004.

Participation at WCW Conferences:

Representatives of the India Chapter have participated in all the WCW conferences held so far.

Programmes with other Chapters:

With Malaysian Chapter: Yosuf Kasim and his wife were special guests at the National Conference in Mumbai in February 1994. He was also a speaker for our Conference in 2002 in Bangalore. On a study programme, Janian Zaini and Baiyah Mahmon visited South India in

With UK Chapter: UK and India Chapters have organised several collaborative ventures. An Exchange programme between India and UK was organised. Four COMMACT UK members visited the west and south regions of India Members in 2000. Two India Members visited UK in 2001. Some COMMACT UK members have supported and are supporting various development projects of some India members.

Relief and Rehabilitation:

After the devastating cyclone and floods in Eastern India in 1999, Sasha (Shabbi Kohli and Roopa Mehta - COMMACT members from Calcutta) was involved in rehabilitation and relief work along with local NGOs in the state of Orissa. COMMACT India also supported their initiatives.

In 2001, COMMACT India got engaged in a small way through a local NGO to help build a rural school for poor children after the Gujarat earth quake. Later the NGO also became a COMMACT member. The funds for building the school were contributed by COMMACT UK.

Lastly, several COMMACT members were involved in various ways to help the victims of tsunami in 2005.

Death of Shabbi Kohli:

Shabbi died on the 31^st of December 2004. It was a great loss for COMMACT. She was a founder member of COMMACT and served for six years as the Chair of COMMACT India. She was the Vice-Chair of COMMACT International at the time of her death. Not only has she served COMMACT, but also through her organisation, Sasha, she has helped thousands of rural people, women in particular. She has been an inspiring person for NGOs in West Bengal and all over India. Many NGOs and people at the grass roots miss her as well as we, the COMMACT members. As a tribute to remember her, COMMACT India has published a small booklet with reflections from various people who knew her.

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The work of COMMACT India member organisations is also profiled in this section

ORGANISATION: SASHA

Objectives of the Organisation

SASHA Association for Crafts Producers with Sarba Shanti Ayog (the sister organization providing development inputs) is a livelihood promotion organization working with over 100 producer groups (co-ops, societies, SHGs and small enterprises) of marginalized communities and women in eastern India and other places for the last 30 years - providing them capacity building inputs and access to national and international markets for textiles, natural fibres, leather, cane & bamboo, wood, metal crafts, jewellery, pottery, decorative handicrafts, herbal products and food products.

SACP and SSA are registered Societies under the Societies West Bengal Act XXVI of 1961. Not–for-profit organizations, their respective Boards today are a mix of members coming from Producer/artisan associations, corporate, professionals and interested persons.

Sasha was formed in 1978 as a not-for-profit organisation with the objective of promoting small businesses and generating income for the poor. Sasha and its sister organisations have multi-dimensional experience in skill augmentation of small producers and other livelihood support organisations in the country. More than 100 groups of disadvantaged women, rural youth, and marginalized artisans have been empowered through design development, process improvement and resource optimisation; and they are now engaged in sustainable economic activities in handicrafts, textiles, jute, kantha products and herbal formulations.

Sasha, along with Sarba Shanti Ayog (SSA) is involved in promoting a better quality of life for the craftsmen and artisans of India through intensive skill & design development, and marketing of their products. Sasha’s work with small handicraft producers and artisans goes back over 30 years with the inception of Sarba Shanti Ayog (SSA) as a marketing organization. Very early in its working with the producers SSA realized that basic skills were not sufficient for the marginalized producers alienated from their surroundings with the breakdown of inter-community exchange and trading that existed over centuries; or by middlemen who forced them to operate under exploitative circumstances.

These efforts have resulted in developing craft communities, reviving dying arts and skills, inspiring new creativity for the artisans' expression, recognition and fulfillment while providing vital livelihood support. Most training and developmental activities are handled by SSA while SASHA directs its energy towards accessing markets.

Sasha today works with approximately 100+ producer groups / communities, reaching out to about 5000 persons. 80% of the producers Sasha works with are women.

Sasha is a fair trade organization and a member of the International Federation of Alternative Trade, the apex body for the global fair trade movement; Sasha is also a promoter member of the Asia Fair Trade Forum and the Fair Trade Forum India.

Sasha’s mission is to empower the disadvantaged artisans, craftspeople and primary producers at the grassroots through capacity building, technical, financial & management inputs and ‘fair trading’ of their products & services.

Contact person: Roopa Mehta, Executive Director

SASHA retail & wholesale
Address: 27, Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata 700016
Phone : +91 33 22521586

SASHA exports
1/C Chatu Babu lane, Kolkata 700014
Phone: +91 33 22449776
Fascimile: +91 33 22449776

E-mail: sashaindia@vsnl.net
Website: http://www.sashaworld.com/

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