Meet our Artisan of the Week, Marreswari!
Marreswari, 31, is from Thanakkankulam and is a basket weaving artisan at GreenKraft, a producer-owned company incubated by Industree and supported by “Producer Owned Women Enterprises” (POWER) project, in partnership with USAID – US Agency for International Development. Before she started working at GreenKraft, her family of four was living off just her husband’s income, and they struggled to make ends meet financially.
Marreswari did not have previous work experience, but she needed to support her family, so she joined a local GreenKraft unit that was established near her home. She has now been working there for a year, and has seen her financial problems decrease significantly with the contribution of her salary. She has been able to start saving money monthly to prepare for any unexpected costs that her family might incur, and is also saving for her daughter’s higher education.
Marreswari enjoys working at GreenKraft, and describes the work culture and environment as tension-free and safe, as if she was working in her own home. Her family and her community applaud her hard work; “My neighbors and relatives are proud of me for my skills with natural fibre!” she says.
Stay tuned for more stories from our amazing women next week!
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