MarketPlace: Handwork of India

Mission

MarketPlace: Handwork of India is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing economic opportunities to women artisans in India with the goal of increasing their involvement in social change. MarketPlace is committed to being an economically viable business. It uses design to compensate for the lack of resources of the women artisans and produces high-quality products that contribute to its dual objectives of providing employment for women and honoring the dignity of the artisans.

Programs

MarketPlace works with a network of 480 women artisans in 14 cooperatives throughout India. Leadership development starts with organizing and producing quality products. Economic security and support programs have enabled the women to participate fully in improving the lives of their children and their communities. Programs have evolved to address the changing needs of women as they take a stronger role in their families and communities. See Photo Gallery.

Current Projects on GlobalGiving

Redesigning Destinies: Women Changing Their Worlds

Personnel Overview

Pushpika Freitas - President
Pushpika Freitas is Founder and President of MarketPlace: Handwork of India. She was born and raised in Mumbai, India. As one of six daughters of progressive parents and a strong mother, she grew up questioning the role of women in Indian society. In 1980, after receiving her master’s degree from DePaul University, Chicago, she founded SHARE in Mumbai. In 1986, she founded MarketPlace in Chicago.

Fatima Merchant - Board Secretary, SHARE, Mumbai
Fatima Merchant is Board Secretary of SHARE (Support the Handicapped’s Rehabilitation Effort), a non-profit organization in Mumbai that works closely with MarketPlace. She graduated from the University of Mumbai with a master’s degree in Social Work. She was the Executive Director of SHARE for 13 years and is a key figure in shaping the philosophy and social programs for MarketPlace in India.

Personnel Statistics

Pushpika Freitas,
President
Founded in 1986
Employees: 3
Volunteers: 4

Financial Statistics

Budget (2008): $ 1,000,000
Budget (2007): $ 1,000,000
Maximum Budget: $ 1,200,000
Overhead: 10 %
Other funding sources: MarketPlace has been largely self-supporting. Funds for special projects and flood relief have come from Ford Foundation, Catholic Relief Services, Boeing, Equal Exchange, Ten Thousand Villages.
Religious Affiliation: none