When you look up Bandhwari on Google, you will be presented information of a mega landfill, replete with news reports about groundwater contamination, landfill fires, and unchecked dumping.

The second, more tentative line informs you, “It might also mean a social impact project that empowers women of the Bandhwari village.”

Artisans working on upcycled products

It is the second that Ms Shreya Sinha powers. Since 2022, she has built Bandhwari into a brand, ten years after her family’s Incentive Foundation started the skilling program in the village, along with education and healthcare.

There are about 20 artisans with the organization between 20 and 45 years old.

‘Stitching is something that every woman is taught as a life skill,’ says Shreya. ‘We want to bring it as a livelihood for these women.’

The name of the village lends itself perfectly to what the organization seeks to do: ‘Bandh’ meaning stitching together, and ‘wari’ meaning ‘the cycle of’, represents perfectly their focus on upcycled fabric.

While the majority of their raw material comes from recyclers, Bandhwari has also partnered with other organizations for clothes donation drives to power their enterprise.

While Shreya lives in Bangalore, she manages the team remotely and also visits them often.

Along with an income where there was none earlier, the women also see changes in their agency, with each artisan having a bank account where their earnings are deposited. They are now able to afford things for their child or themselves, and also make those purchasing decisions.

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