Look closely at the workshop photograph. An artisan holds a leather sole steady as she stitches by hand. The work asks for care at each step. By the time a pair of mojaris reaches a shop or a fair, much of that patient work is no longer visible.
Meera Sansthan’s leather cluster programme in Jodhpur started with a practical concern: how could traditional artisans find more opportunities to earn from their craft? Its support included skill training, design development, better tools, access to credit and participation in fairs and exhibitions.
Beyond the workshop
The project records describe 32 self-help groups involving 489 artisans. They also record training for 349 artisans and support with access to bank credit for 148. Each kind of support addresses a different part of the work, from making a product to finding the money and opportunities to sell it.
Tools matter, but so do buyers. A fair or exhibition puts an artisan’s work in front of people who may never visit the workshop. It creates a chance to show the product, discuss an order and find out what customers are looking for.
This is what livelihood support can look like in practice: recognise the skill already there, then help with the steps that connect it to an income. The hands making the shoes remain at the centre of the story.
Based on the Jodhpur leather cluster account in Meera Sansthan’s project records. These are historical programme figures, not individual earnings or recent sales totals.
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