In response to the growing challenges and opportunities created by globalization, the Sewa Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC) was established in May 2003 by more than 15000 women artisans in the textile sector as a bridge linking informal workers with national and global markets. STFC is a non-profit company and is registered under Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act.

STFC represents a novel approach to poverty alleviation whereby poor, vulnerable artisans becomes the owners of their own company and the controllers of their own economic fate.

Harnessing and preserving indigenous embroidery skills, STFC works to bring impoverished women from the informal sector into the mainstream. Lack of market information hindered artisans from gaining bargaining power with traders or building strong relationships with buyers. STFC was created as a mechanism to coordinate the design, production and marketing of these artisans’ products. STFC uses mainstream business principles—business planning, management finance, market intelligence, inventory indexing, cost accounting—and puts it at the service of the informal economy workers.

As a result of these efforts, STFC has alleviated poverty for thousands of women through facilitating full employment and self-reliance for its shareholders.

STFC Business Model