Anchal

In 2022, Anchal provided services to 205 women in ajmer, india, and 1 woman in louisville, Kentucky who have survived exploitation in the commercial sex trade or domestic violence. Women, now artisans, enrolled in the stitch x stitch project or dyescape project were provided full-time or part-time job opportunities in textile production. The holistic program also offered ongoing training, education workshops, health camps, gifts, and a community of support. To date, we have employed over 500 women, helped 95% of our artisans leave the sex trade or reduce clients, and produced 100,622 ecofriendly products. Creating partnerships with existing social justice organizations has been the core of Anchal's mission since our founding in 2010. In 2022 Anchal spent months listening and ideating ways to improve our support for the artisans and our partners of the last 12 years, anoothi and vatsalya. As a result, Anchal and anoothi/vatsalya restructured our mou and pricing model together to provide more autonomy for local leadership, cover rising costs, and increase profit margins for reinvestment in the community. This renewed agreement provides a more substantial base to build long-term sustainable impact. This resulted in a 19% increase in financial investment in the artisan program from 2021. Additionally, 2022 was marked with significant expansion and impact for the 205 women in Anchal's program. Anchal increased the leadership team of project assistants by 60%, moved to a larger workshop space, and increased products made by Anchal artisans by 23% from 2021, including an exclusive collection for the guggenheim museum store. Rajiya represents the full potential of Anchal's program. Rajiya recently shared, "i wanted to become a project assistant and join the training program because it made me excited. I wanted to do something for myself and earn more money for our family. I have learned a lot of new skills like machine sewing and teamwork. I feel grateful my family is so happy for me and they support me." We also witnessed children of artisans celebrate academic achievements from recognition in the newspaper to acceptance into college. Neetu shared, "i am very proud of my children's accomplishments. My daughter started her bachelors in education and my son was admitted into a polytechnic college for electric engineering." Anchal's impact now spans generations.