Lok Virsa Workshops on Textile
As many as 768 artisans who have no or limited linkage with big markets to sell their products are set to gain from the Lok Virsa workshops being organised in collaboration with SUNGI Development Foundation and GIZ. The series of master artisans training workshops will be held at Garden Avenue, Shakarparian, complex of the Lok Virsa.
The first workshop in this series was held in July whereas the second, focusing on the important craft field of textile, will take place from August 30 to September 12. During workshop, daily training and exhibition would be held from 10am to 9pm with break for lunch/prayers between 1pm to 3pm. The display and sale of products of the master artisans will be held at Lok Virsa shops adjacent to the open-air theatre.
Talking to media, Lok Virsa Executive Director Khalid Javaid said that the project would provide capacity building for marginalised craft persons/artisans, mainly from rural districts with low-income groups. They are home-based workers living in far-flung and deprived areas, with no or limited linkage with big markets to sell their products.
The training package includes GALS (Gender Action Learning System), group management, skill development/enhancement, colour scheming, product design and development, quality control, pricing, raw material purchasing, marketing as well as economic rights of home-based informal workers. The 768 beneficiaries of the training workshops would include 128 master artisans and 768 artisan apprentices.
The training methodology includes 14-day training module for master trainers (men and women) skilled artisans from different areas of Pakistan. The master trainer will be trained on Lok Virsa premises. At the same time, specialised designers from renowned art schools will conduct design and product development trainings. The important aspect of the training is to provide exposure to the skilled artisans in value chain development and marketing practices through hands-on experience in the exhibition/marketing facility at Lok Virsa. The artisans will be bringing their handmade products along and they will also be making it on spot in training sessions and shops that will be sold to customers directly. Each master trainer after successful completion of training will be responsible to train five local artisans from his/her own locality for two months. The master artisan will get Rs 5,000 as honorarium for training those five fellow craftsmen and this will be given to them on successful completion of the training during the marketing exposure/exhibition at provincial level such as craft exhibitions, industrial exhibitions, fairs, exhibitions by chambers of commerce, etc.
The third, fourth and fifth batches of the training workshops, in the fields of lacquer art, wood works, metal works, stone carving, bone, ivory, blue pottery, replicas, etc, will be organised during September and October.
(Daily Times)
