"Guild of Women Achievers (GoWa) in Bangalore realised the tremendous market potential of these environment-friendly bags and has already trained 60 women in this venture," says Chaya Srivatsa, president, GoWA. "The one-month-old venture has evoked a very encouraging response as it provides home-based business opportunities to women. It is best suited for women as it is a routine kind of an affair and does not require much skill," says Chaya. In a three-day workshop, women are taught everything from making the paper bags, to decorating them with screen and block printing designs using vegetable dye, Indian ink, broken bangles and handmade paper flowers. The three-hour workshop also takes care of advertising and marketing the product. It really is a one-stop shop where the participants are provided everything from the raw material to the marketing strategies at a nominal fee.
These colourful bags made out of handmade recycled paper, kora cloth or waste material are custom-made, according to the needs and requirements of the customer. An investment of Rs 1.5 lakh made by GoWA for this venture is really worthwhile because it will enable women capture a niche market, she added. Bureau Report