Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Beneficiary
Poor / marginal home-based women workers from informal sectors in the SAARC Members States, except India.
Project Objectives
To build a strong supply chain and to generate employment,
Build a social business organization i.e. SAARC Business Association for Home-based Workers (SABAH) in each Member State and strengthen marketing power;
Promote development and inclusive growth through sharing experiences,
Build a model of empowerment of women through crafts making and marketing and
Deepen relationship among the SAARC Member States based on learning and sharing.
Detail Activities
Visit by SEWA- HNSA Team to member countries
The visit would aim at familiarization, validation and finalization of action plan for project implementation.
Quick Action Research
SEWA & STFC will design the Action Research.
Concerned Member State’s Home-Net will carry out actual research.
Will focus on the Clusters of Home-based Workers (HBW), their skill and employment status. If any organization existed, their product range and production capacity, their current marketing, what are their current constraints etc.
Will also include: identifying feasible locations, availability of infrastructure, and define partnership with respective governments in consultation with SAARC Secretariat, HNSA and national governments.
Comparability with existing policies of the respective government.
Exposure Visits by Target Groups
Groups consisting of beneficiaries, their grass-root organizations and policy makers would visit SEWA with a view to familiarize and understand the integrated approach to poverty reduction and women empowerment. Specific visits will be organized for the workers and SEWA units engaged in work related to garment and textile stitching / embroidery manufacturing and marketing.
Establishment of Trade Facilitation Centers (TFCs)
TFCs will be equipped with knowledge, skill and equipment in fabric selection, designing, printing, garment stitching, embroidering, finishing and packing. All TFCs will be equipped with infrastructure like production facilities, design studios, quality assurance laboratories, demonstration facilities and resource center. TFCs aim to impart skills in embroidery, fabric printing, stitching and finishing.
Technical and Handholding Support
Market development;
Identification and linking of local / regional resource institutions for marketing facilitation. SMS will provide technical support in developing high-level technical trainings in understanding markets and developing markets.
Recent updates
Action Research completed in all the SAARC Members States;
Trade Facilitation Centers established in Bhutan, Nepal Pakistan and Sri Lanka;
SABAH registered in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka;
Procurement of land and building for Trade Facilitation Center (TFC) of SABAH Afghanistan completed;
8,286 Home-based Workers (HBWs) reached out so far by the project in seven SAARC Member States;
4,753 HBWs have been registered in Seven Member States;
5,236 HBWs trained in technical, managerial and leadership skills in food processing, embroidery and garmenting;
3,820 HBWs were provided with work from the TFCs;
Total sales proceeds and earnings of HBWs are respectively USD 512,244.00 and 308,270.00;
Total eleven (11) sales outlets are operative in Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka from respective SABAH in countries;
Two workshops were conducted to clarify the Business Sustainability Plan of country SABAHs;
SABAH Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka submitted Business Sustainability Plan to the Lead Implementing Agency. Lead Implementing Agency scrutinized them and sent to SDF for feedback;
A two days meeting with SEWA and HNSA was held with SDF at Thimphu on the project management issues and re-allocation of country budgets on 7th – 8th November, 2012;
A two days discussion was held among the officials of SDF, SEWA and HNSA on 21st and 22nd January, 2013 in Ahmedabad, India on project management issues and outreach program to increase Home-based workers;
A three days SABAH Financial Workshop was held on 23rd – 25th January, 2013 in Ahmedabad, India for the Project Managers, Finance and Administration Managers of participating countries;
Budget of all Country SABAHs, and SEWA re-casted into respective country currency from USD;
Project Financing Agreements (PFAs) are signed for all the countries except Bangladesh;
All the country SABAHs are in process of modification of Project Financing Agreements due to 2nd re-allocation of budget and shifting of USD budget to respective country currency;
In June 2013, a multi-stakeholder meeting was held in Dhaka, where the SDF, LIA, IA, SDF Board Director from Bangladesh and the DG SAARC from Bangladesh were present;
Outreach Program activity is being conducted in all the countries (Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan and Pakistan) where SABAHs are fully functional, and wish to expand their capacity by organizing more home-based workers. The target is to reach out to about 40,000 HBWs, mobilize and build their capacities and link them to SABAHs (as per need) or other enterprises;
In order to meet the market demand and potential (mainly in) India, as well as countries like Nepal and Pakistan, the collective marketing initiative has been started by the LIA. Country SABAHs are oriented and facilitated to produce market driven merchandise, which is then sold through different retail and institutional formats and channels. Until now, test marketing was conducted in various metros and large cities of India, totaling about USD 150,000 of sales.
Four day workshop on Workshop on “Membership, Markets and Sustainable Livelihoods for Homebased Workers” was held on 21st-24th August, 2013 at New Dehli. Project Managers and Marketing officials of Country SABAHs, representatives of Lead Implementing Agencies and SDF attended the workshop.
