India-based Rug Company to Provide 10,000 Low-Income Indians with Access to Training

New York/New Delhi, 10 January 2012—The Jaipur Rugs Company announced today that it will train some 10,000 people in northern India on advanced carpet weaving techniques and provide them with access to global markets by 2015 as part of the firm’s commitment to the Business Call to Action (BCtA), a global initiative that encourages companies to fight poverty while boosting business opportunities in developing countries.

Jaipur Rugs —one of the largest manufacturers of hand-knotted carpets in India— is helping low-income people —approximately 60 percent of who are women— in the most economically disadvantaged regions of India gain access to local employment opportunities. Weavers in Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar will receive one-month of training in advanced carpet weaving techniques and quality control to improve the quality and quantity of rugs produced.

Weavers that demonstrate exceptional carpet making skills will go on to receive training to train and manage other weavers in the village.

“Although there are 2.5 million artisans weaving rugs in India, most are not well-paid. In recent years, weavers have seen their wages plummet due to contractors imposing unfair pricing practices when purchasing carpets at the village level,” said Susan Chaffin, BCtA Programme Manager. “We at the BCtA welcome Jaipur Rugs’ commitment to creating new and sustainable job opportunities for women and unskilled, low-income labourers in villages thereby enabling them to earn a secure livelihood.”

According to the International Labour Organisation, approximately 17 percent of men and 66 percent of women in rural villages are unemployed. Among those that have jobs, 30 percent of men and 36 percent of women live below the poverty line.

Initiatives such as Jaipur’s provide jobs and opportunities to those people that need it the most. Trained weavers contracted through Jaipur Rugs earn an average of US$300- $500 more per year than unskilled artisans.

”Through this initiative, we have the opportunity to provide sustainable livelihoods to the poorest of the poor in an economically disadvantaged region of the world,” said Asha Chaudhary, CEO of Jaipur Rugs “Each time you buy a rug and I sell it, we contribute to alleviation of poverty and create employment for underserved communities.”

Since its inception, Jaipur Rugs has provided training to more than 28,000 low-income home-based weavers and an additional 12,000 wool spinners and dyers. This latest commitment by Jaipur Rugs is part of the company’s long-term growth strategy and plans to extend its market globally.

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JAIPUR receives the Villgro Social Enterprise Award 2011

Chennai, India – Saturday, December 2nd 2011, Pracin Jain, Head Content & Communication, represented JAIPUR to receive the Villgro Social Enterprise Award 2011, during the social entrepreneurship conference Unconvention, for creating a global supply chain that integrates more than 40,000 carpet artisans from 600 remote villages in India.

The annual event is organized by Villgro Innovations Foundation, “the pioneers in championing rural innovation”, to recognize and felicitate outstanding individuals, enterprises and institutions in the Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship eco-system, for their contribution in effecting a sustainable change in society.

The Social Enterprise Award is given to organizations which are likely to become role models for start-up & early growth social enterprises. JAIPUR received the award for its innovative business model to impact rural communities in India.

In 1978, N. K. Chaudhary, founder and Chief Managing Director at JAIPUR, started working in the carpet industry with only two looms and nine weavers; today, JAIPUR has a consolidated network of more than 40,000 artisans in 10 states in the northern part of India. By offering fair wages and working on a business model which allows the integration of artisans in the production chain, JAIPUR is seeking to improve their quality of life. Jaipur Rugs Foundation, JAIPUR entity and non-profit organization, further catalyses sustainable livelihood for the artisans through rug weaving training & educational programs.

Villgro Awards 2011 has received nominations across different categories such as Lifetime achievement, Social Enterprise, Social Investor, Media House, Journalist, Grass root innovator, Social Incubator, Academic Contribution. One of the knowledge partners of the conference was Ashoka India.

Since 1994, JAIPUR has received more than 15 awards either for its social mission or for the innovations in the design of its diverse range of rugs and carpets. Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2010-Start Up” is one of the last recognitions

Health Camps for weavers' communities in rural India

JAIPUR & its partners offer regular free medical services to villagers below poverty line.

Sunday, 13^th November 2011, JAIPUR Rugs Foundation (JRF) and SMD Hospital, one of the biggest private hospitals in the capital of Rajasthan state, have organized a one-day health camp in Maid village near Jaipur city and have assisted more than 500 poor people with free medical services.

More than 1000 people present in the camp, 15 doctors and health professional volunteers and 501 poor people who were offered more than eight types of medical services: this was the impact of the third health camp organized in 2011 by JAIPUR Rugs Foundation and two of its partners: Jaipur Rugs Company and SMD Hospital. 200 of the patients who received free medicines, token cards for free chirurgical interventions or medical consultations were JAIPUR weavers which craft high-quality rugs and carpets for home makers in 25 countries.

“JAIPUR's mission is to empower artisans in the carpet industry while connecting them with global markets through high-quality products they create, but for this empowerment to be sustainable, in the reality of rural communities, there is first a need to improve the quality of life of people living in rural India. This health camp is part of JAIPUR's efforts to improve the socio-economic status of the artisans through partnering with stakeholders for educational, health or rural development programs.” explains Yogesh Chaudhary, Director at JAIPUR.

JRF is taking support from its stakeholders to organize 3-6 health camps a year for villagers below poverty line who don`t have access to proper medical services and are living in the communities of the 40,000 artisans of JAIPUR. One month prior to each health camp, JRF deploys dedicated staff to visit each and every house in the village where the camp is going to be organized in order to extract the details of the patients and to create awareness in the local language.