Parahita Craft

Parahita Craft

a business development service for small producers

Parahita Craft

Parahita Craft was established and supported by Parahita Foundation (now: The Parahita Humba Sejahtera Foundation) and the Centre for Gender Research and Study of Satya Wacana Christian University (PPSG-UKSW; now: PSGA-UKSW). 

  • Parahita Foundation, founded in 2000, focuses its activities on empowering underprivileged citizens, through productive economic activities.
  • One of the main research themes of The Centre for Gender Research and Study of Satya Wacana Christian University (PPSG-UKSW) is the empowerment of woman artisans.
  • Since 2004, the Research Centre has been cooperating with Parahita Foundation in carrying out an action research on  ‘Putting-out-system-based Artisans. The outcomes show a need for facilitating the producers to market the products and for market access. Hence the formation of Parahita Craft.
  • Parahita Craft functions as a business development service for female small producers and producers whose workers are mainly female. The members consist of the representatives of Parahita Foundation, PPSG-UKSW research centre, groups of artisans at the grass-root level who are under assistance or partners of Parahita Foundation / PPSG-UKSW. (At the grass-root level, the artisans are organised into groups according to geographical locations.)
  • Decisions are made through member meetings, maintaining transparency, responsibility, and management sustainability.
  • Self-employed Artisans and Micro-/Small-scale Producers may become members / participants of Parahita Craft. They are obliged to support the management principles, have strong motivation to develop their business, and have common awareness of fellow producers.

The Principles

(Based on the IFAT Code of Principles; now: WFTO’s 10 Fair Trade Standards for Organizations) Sustainable empowerment by

  • Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
  • Transparency and accountability
  • Promoting FairTrade
  • Fair price and fairwages
  • Gender Equity (Gender perspectives)
  • Worker-friendly, environment-friendly working conditions
  • Capacity building

The establishment of the welfare of the micro/small enterprises including the home workers.

  • Developing competitive advancements and sustainability for the community of micro/small producers through Alternative Trade / Fair Trade.
  • Developing the capacity building of micro/small producers of handicrafts
  • Providing greater market access and penetration
  • Developing competitive advantages in the business networks
  • Promoting alternative trading of handicrafts

Empowerment of the community of micro/small producers of handicrafts through marketing

  • Facilitating the artisans /producers of handicrafts to access the market and links
  • Facilitating the creation of market for the micro/small producers