Rural Art & Craft Center

Sugali Embroidery Unit

This is an effort to revive the traditional skills of the Sugalis, a tribal community in Andhra Pradesh, which are threatened with extinction. Satsang Foundation has tied up with Dwarka Trust – an NGO run by Ms. Anita Reddy- which markets traditional products and helps the village women earn an income while keeping their traditional skills alive.

The handicrafts training to a group of tribal women is a means to build capacity and create new sustainable livelihoods. The women come from a remote village called PM Thanda and belong to the Sugali tribe. Sugali women traditionally used a variety of beadwork for their daily wear; however this craft had died out over time. This initiative attempts to revive their skills and trains them in traditional Indian glass beadwork.

Self-Help Group (Co-operative Bank)

Members of the Embroidery Unit have created a co-operative bank where they invest their earnings every month and the pooled in money is then loaned to any of the members at a low rate of interest. Profits are distributed equally on a half yearly basis.