Tailoring and Handicraft Center

Founded in 2008, a training centre for tailoring was opened by Prime Trust. Sewing machines were bought by Prime Trust, with some donated by the Rotary Club of Chennai, and one electrically powered machine was donated by a volunteer from Norway, Linea.

Sewing classes in our old tailoring center (2018)

Making bags for the local indian market (2018)

There, up till March 2020, the women could pay a minimal fee to get tutoring in sewing and clothes manufacturing (courses of three or six months). Around thirty apprentices were learning how to make clothes for the indian market in our tailoring centre (churridars, choli blouses, trousers, kurtas …).
Some of them got trained in manufacturing bags, purses, letter pouches and other such fabric items.
They also used to make and fix school uniforms for the girls at Janani Home.

Our trainees Praveena, Sivansakari and Pouncode are learning new designs for the western market (2021)

Since October 2020, and a new post-COVID era, we have been reviving our vocational trainings at our new Tailoring & Handicraft Center. After closing its doors due to the lockdown in March 2020, and shifting to a new location with more space and better working conditions, we are delighted to now have our volunteer Carine Lakshmi Kandjee to manage our new tailoring and handicrafts projects. With her expertise in sustainable fashion and materials, Carine is training our team of three to five women who are all very keen on improving their skills and learning about design thinking.

After completing their trainings, Praveena, Pouncode and Sivasankari have started to manufacture one-of-a-kind handmade clothing items and accessories made of eco-friendly cotton fabrics. Our unique products combining the most sustainable and traditional Indian textile arts such as Block Printing, Khadi (Ambar Charakha Spun and Hand Woven) and Ikat Weaving will soon be available for purchase online and offline. 

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It will probably take up to one year until we can cover our expenses only with the sales of our handmade products. Until our Tailoring and Handicraft Center can be 100% financially self-sustainable we are still raising funds online and offline with the help of various fundraising platforms.

These are the current expenses we need to cover each month:
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• Rent:  20.000 INR

(= approx. 230 EUR or 280 USD)

• Extra charges (electricity, water, phone and internet connection): 10.000 INR 

(= approx. 115 EUR or 140 USD)
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• Maintenance for 6 sewing machines: 3.000 INR 

(= approx. 35 EUR or 40 USD)​
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• Salary per woman: 7.000 INR 

(= approx. 80 EUR or 95 USD)
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• Materials (fabrics, threads, sewing accessories): 10.000 INR 

(= approx. 115 EUR or 140 USD)

Monthly expenses to run our Tailoring and Handicraft Center: 50.000 INR 
(= approx. 580 EUR or 690 USD)

Whether you are located in India or outside India, we truly appreciate all kind of support, even the smallest donation!

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Thank you for your support!

Past Projects:

  Mat Weaving

Founded in coordination with Credit at People, a French nongovernmental organization specializing in microenterprise design, Prime Trust's mat weaving unit provided a secure facility, materials, machines, and training to a group of women for the production of doormats and other related products. Prime Trust no longer manages this project. However, the women continue with their work. Current production stands at approximately 2,000 mats per month, with supplemental earnings from mat sales increasing the disposable income of participants.