In the early '70s, the lack of employment in the villages of Rajasthan forced many of the rural poor to migrate to cities. In the absence of jobs but still hoping for any job, they lived an inhuman existence in appalling urban slums. Many of these migrants were traditional craftmen and artisans who abandoned their trade due lack of access to broader markets. The humiliation and scorn they would face on returning to the village prevented them from coming back home. Anyone going back to the village was considered a failure and the shame was shared by the whole family.

When the youth fled, they took with them the dying hopes of their parents- who were weavers, blacksmiths, potters, builders, carpenters, farmers-to pass on the traditional skills to the next generation. They left behind not only their families but also the knowledge their elders had collected over the generations to adapt to local conditions.

The Barefoot College began promoting rural craft to address these problems of under-employment. Assistance in improving designs and techniques, creation of marketing outlets, and access to credit have helped to restore and create new income opportunities for craftsmen and women. Training and materials provided by the College also enabled women to work from home, helping them to generate income from craft. The Total number of Training held in various trades (9 Nos) in 167 villages

Total Artisans : 1500       Village covered: 167

Sl No	Trade	Artisans	Villages
1	Appliqué	600	57
2	Embroidery	210	10
3	Bell Tota	200	30
4	Weaving	20	5
5	Leather	80	5
6	Wood craft	10	7
7	Sewing	300	40
8	Tie & Dye	50	3
9	Recycling of Waste	30	10
	Total	1,500	167

ARTISANS presently with Craft section

Details of the artisans working during the year are given below :
 

Craft	Veme	Women	Men	Total
Patchwork	Tilonia	54	-	54
Bell tota	Tilonia	59	-	59
Sewing	Tilonia	45	-	45
Bell tota	Chota Narena	6	-	6
Block Print	Bagru	5	6	11
Bandhes and Dyeing	Lamba, Rupangarh	6	2	8
Wooden Toys	Ladera	-	3	3
Leather Craft and Embroidery	Harmada, Bandar Sindri	6	2	8
Quilts	Kishangarh	20	5	25
Durries	Biya Kheda-Jawaja	2	2	4
Patchwork, Embroidery	Dhanau-Barmer	164	12	176
Total		367	32	399

Vocational Training (VT)
 

It organised Vocational Training in sewing skills for girls attending night schools. This is to prepare them for improving their livelihood skills
 

S. no.	Field Centre	Training Centre	Name of the Trainer	No of Girls
1.	Nalu	Chulri	Sarju Devi	10
2.	Tikawda	Gordhanpura	Nelam Devi	10
3.	Kotri	Gudda, Ajmer	Ganpati Devi	10
4.	Kotri	Mundelan ki dhani	Mehan kawar	10
5.	Prayatna Sansthan, Solawta	Korsina	Gita Devi	10
6.	Prayatna Sansthan, Solawta	Binjolaw	Suman Devi	11
7.	Jawaja	Naya Gaon, Sarot	Indra Devi	10
8.	Dhanau	Jhakdon ki dhani	Mavat Bano	13

Today, these rural artisans produce clothing and accessories, decorative home furnishings, furniture, rugs, textiles, handmade paper products, puppets, educational toys, metalwork, and leather goods. The crafts are sold through retail shops and exhibitions held in metropolitan cities of India, Europe, USA and Canada

Friends of Tilonia is working with the College to develop direct sales and marketing channels for these crafts in the U.S.A. To support this effort, FOT has developed an online store- www.tilonia.com that is promoting sales and direct marketing to individuals, wholesalers and distributors on behalf of Barefoot College.