Friends Handicraft

Nepal

Friends Handicrafts provides employment for Nepali women and sustains the ancient technique of felting. They use this method to create unique and vibrantly colored necklaces, bags, scarves, and children's gifts. Based in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friends Handicraft's mission is to combat urban poverty. It supports skills-training and income-generation programs for 80 female heads-of-households living in and around the capital and provides access to education for their children, fostering a sense of independence in an otherwise marginalized population.

Artisan Voices

“I believe women and girls should be given the opportunity to do something - to better themselves. Before, men were more independent and girls were bound to the rules of their family. Now, women are able to make their families understand that they can do the same work as men.”
— Savitri Kardel