About Us
Background
The northern territories of India are known for their grandness: the ancient temples and monuments, origins of major rivers like the Ganga, and the magnificent Himalayan range. These places have also withstood the awesome power of one of the most unfortunate floods in Indian history. The infamous flood of the summer of June 2013 induced an intense amount of rainfall within a matter of days, the heaviest being on June 16th, and caused severe damage. The rains were so heavy that they caused part of the Chorabari Glacier to melt and form the Mandakini River to burst, and with all this combined water, havoc was wreaked, especially in the state of Uttarakhand. Among massive landslides and fast-flowing water, thousands of people died and many more lost their homes and sources of livelihood. For a mere few days, heavy rains occurred, yet those ill-fated days have caused this area to suffer the consequences even now.Mandakini Mahila Bunkar Samiti (MMBS) came into existence in the year 2014 after divesting floods wreaked havoc in the upper reaches of the Garhwal Himalaya in the north India state of Uttarakhand on June –
16, 2013. Thousand died, infrastructure was destroyed, and the local economy derived almost entirely from religious tourism, was left in tatters. The Mandakini valley, home to the ancient Shiva temple of Kedarnath, was the worst hit. Hardly any village in the area was untouched by the disaster. Household lost their main breadwinners, women were widows, agricultural fields and animals simply vanished. A way of life that had sustained the region for generations had come undone. MMBS has formed a group of 300 women and the elderly who have been training in spinning, weaving, and knitting and are now producing beautiful high-quality products for the market(please visit http://youtb.be/zLzM93k19sY). The main objective of MMBS is to rebuild livelihood and promote self-sustaining handloom-based livelihood for disasters affected families and also link them to the mainstream markets for sustainable income. A key factor in the rehabilitation of the communities has been the re-introduction of traditional craft skills of the region, weaving, and spinning in particular is becoming a thriving cottage industry. The women of Kedarnath valley have shown how quiet resilience and courage in the face of impossible odds can turn around a seemingly hopeless situation. The rugged mountains reflect the spirit of the Uttarakhand women, indomitable and tough. It is the women who will be the catalysts of change for a better future. A future where cottage industry in the form of handloom, craft, and agro-based products become the basis of a sustainable economy, and women are empowered economically and socially.
Our ORIGIN
In June of 2013, a disastrous flood took place throughout much of Northern India, especially among the hill communities in Uttarakhand. Hundreds of people lost their lives and many more lost their source of livelihood (i.e. guest homes for tourism) because it was literally washed away with the torrential flowing waters. With the loss of working family members and the source of income, these communities were in a distraught economic state, beyond the environmental and personal trauma that occurred. Thus the MandakiniMahila Bunker Samiti (MMBS) was established out of the response to this natural disaster. The name Mandakini stems from the name of the very river that caused intense destruction in this area, and the NGO decided to use the name as a source of remembrance and revival. This restoration initiative was implemented
What We Do
The key to creating a sustainable and successful enterprise is, to begin with, intensive training programs, whereby the women learn a set of skills sophisticated enough to stand up to the high expectations of an up-market clientele. The point is to stop buyers saying “It’s made by poor women so I’ll buy out of charity” and make them say instead “I’ll buy this because it is an exquisite product, who made it?” The challenge is to procure and distribute high-quality and exotic raw materials and then convert them, through labour-intensive processes, into exquisite handlooms. The trick is to work with modern technologies and concepts for branding, design development, and marketing and yet to have the products made entirely by means of traditional knowledge, right from the use of indigenous vegetable dyes to methods of spinning, weaving, and finally labeling the finished products
Our Vision is to promote economic development through small enterprises combined with the strengthening of village community institutions.
Our Operational Area
District: Rudraprayag
Block: Ukhimath
Villages: 10 (◦Lamgoundi ◦Dewali ◦Bhanigram ◦Toshi ◦Triyuginarayan ◦Badasu ◦Kunjethi ◦Phahli ◦Pasalat)
Mission
Mandakini Mahila Bunkar Samiti wants to empower disaster-affected women of Kedar valley of Uttarakhand by promoting handlooms as a major industry that is sustainable through linking local, domestic & international marketing.
Vision
To empower women economically and socially and set up a vibrant entrepreneurial business model for handlooms and handicrafts. Efforts of MMBS are dedicated to establishing a sustainable source of livelihood for the people and are encouraging the local women.
Goal
To achieve the economic rehabilitation of disaster-affected families in disaster-affected villages of Kedar valley of Rudraprayag. A future where cottage industry in the form of handloom, craft, and agro-based products become the basis of a sustainable economy, and women are empowered economically and socially.