UNNATI
A Collective of Women Entrepreneurs
(Mothers of Working Children)
ASK Bags Ashoka Foundation CBI award 2003 for Unnati
Unnati is a collective of women artisan who are mothers of working children studying at Sankalp formed with a aim of mainstreaming women’s participation in workplace and thus reducing the incidence of child’s participation at work. Recently, ASK has been awarded ‘Citizen Base Investment Award 2003’ by Ashoka Foundation for this innovative intervention with child labour and collective of Women Artisans.
The Brass City of Moradabad is known for its worldwide exports and rampant child labor. It all started in Feb 1998, with the initiation of Sankalp program, committed to weaning away children working in the hazardous brass industry. An NGO “ASK” (India), and a Corporate “The CONRAN shop” (UK) came in partnership and launched a program to rehabilitate and development of these children. 200 Children presently are receiving education, age appropriate & exciting recreational opportunities, daily dose of supplementary nutrition and regular health check up.
Along with the children, their mothers were being mobilized and organized until, 50 mothers of working children decided to change their child’s future for the better by undergoing skill training in making brass products traditionally considered a man’s job. These artisans along with their husbands are now part of a collective called UNNATI. Unnati’s shareholders comprise of 30 women trainees and 24 men. These shareholders thus maintain control over the collective on equitable, gender neutral terms and constitute the board of directors.
The mission of UNNATI is to set up training cum production center aimed at optimally utilizing the potential of parents of working children, weaning away their children from work and thus improving the quality of life of the families with working children.
At present, the training cum production center meeting global health & safety standards, is in place, first batch of around 50 women have undergone 4- 6 months basic skill training and have carried out successful job orders from local exporters. Further, UNNATI plans to undertake the following tasks:
It is proposed that the resources would be mobilized from the following:
