what we do

The Tibet Artisan Initiative (TAI) was formed in 2002 by the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund (www.tpaf.org) in conjunction with the Chenguan Handicraft Bureau, as part of TPAF’s Enterprise Development Initiative.

TAI is the TPAF Enterprise Development Initiative’s first project and is focused on creating an infrastructure that will service the needs of both urban and rural artisans.

TPAF’s Enterprise Development Initiative relies on the contributions of donors, board members and local partners to develop formally-operated, privately managed enterprises in order to:

1. Alleviate Poverty: Assist Tibetan entrepreneurs to increase production capacity and revenue, and in turn create new forms of employment.

2. Incubate Creativity & Entrepreneurship: Provide product development, marketing, and business education to Tibetan entrepreneurs in order to increase the competitiveness of Tibetan-made merchandise, while assisting Tibetan entrepreneurs in developing greater market access and market share.

TPAF’s Enterprise Development Initiative is aimed at building capacity at all levels of engagement, from the government down to the producer. An ardent believer in free trade principles, TPAF strives to implement best business practices at all levels.

-Methodology

-TAI Handicraft Development Model

-Dropenling Handicraft Development Center

-Economic Development

-Cultural Preservation Methodology

-Case Study: Nyimu Paper Preservation

-Case Study: Lhoka Sweater Co-operatives

Methodology

TAI believes that sustainability comes from identifying the needs of artisans through bottom-up development practices. Working within TPAF’s Enterprise Development Initiative’s three-point methodology of identifying user needs, implementing sustainable growth based upon greater market access, and empowering users to realize real results, TAI is a results-oriented program tailored to deliver greater opportunities to Tibetan artisans through market development.

TAI Handicraft Development Cycle

TAI has focused on and is in the midst of implementing the three-point methodology and a project specific sustainable infrastructure that will allow for long-term benefits.

This implementation has focused on:

1) Identifying Tibetan artisan needs based upon current economic and market conditions and designing and conducting workshops to meet these needs;

2) Conducting market analysis for the handicraft sector in Tibet, neighboring countries, and international demand;

3) Creating a market outlet for the sale of Tibetan-made products that will return all non-operating profits back to the artisans in the form of social funds to assist in further developing the Tibetan handicraft sector;

4) Identifying handicraft traditions in danger of dying out due to increased foreign trade;

5) Establishing worker cooperatives for the development of handicrafts in order to stimulate rural communities.

Dropenling Handicraft Development Center

The key to the sustainability of the program has been the creation of Dropenling Handicraft Development Center. Dropenling, which means “to give back for the betterment of all sentient beings”, first opened its doors during the summer of 2003 with the goal of providing a designated point-of-sales for 100% Tibetan-made products. Dropenling specializes in the sale of high-quality authentic Tibetan products made by Tibetans in Tibet. Most importantly, all profits from Dropenling are returned to the Tibetan Artisan community in the form of micro-financial loans, educational funds, health care funds, and other social funds.

Over 70% of handicrafts sold in Lhasa are imported from India, Nepal, or Mainland China. These products are lower priced and often of a higher quality making it increasingly difficult for indigenous Tibetan products to compete in the tourist sector. Dropenling was created as a means to provide Tibetan artisans a central location to sell their products to a larger market, operate in a clean and safe environment, and promote the diverse cultural legacy imbedded in Tibetan handicrafts.

Dropenling offers a wide range of traditional Tibetan handicrafts and contemporary products form throughout Tibet.

Dropenling sells only products made by Tibetan artisans residing in Tibet, at fixed prices.

Producer Groups

Dropenling Handicraft Development Center is dedicated to assisting Tibetan artisans on many different levels. One of the primary functions of the center is to provide artisans with production space and greater access to the growing consumer market. Dropenling offers rooms to artisans to set up production and sell directly to consumers. The artisans who operate in Dropenling include one of Lhasa’s premier Thangka schools, wood working units, and metal working groups.

Dropenling Handicraft Development Center is also home to a number of producer co-ops that have been organized as a means of poverty alleviation. Dropenling works with women in craft skill training and assists them in organizing co-op groups, which includes creating branding, packaging, and sales strategies.

Come Visit Us!

Coming to Lhasa? Stop by and visit us at Dropenling.

For a detailed map click here.

Dropenling is located in the heart of old Lhasa and only a 10 minute walk from the Jokhang Temple.

Coming from the front of the Johkang Temple, visitors should make their way around to the back of the temple until they get to the Makye Amye Restaurant. At Makye Amye, visitors should turn left and proceed straight for approximately 5-minutes, or until they reach Lhasa’ Mosque. At the Mosque, visitors should turn left and proceed straight until they see the Dropenling sign.

Alternatively, feel free to contact Dropenling at 891-633-0898 for directions from anywhere in Lhasa, or email nima@tpaf.org for directions.

Economic Development

Handicrafts play a significant role in Tibet’s rural economy. TAI believes the can play a larger one.

As part of TAI’s commitment to poverty alleviation, economic development is one of the core components of the project’s agenda. Due to the economic constraints placed upon artisans and villages throughout Tibet, many cannot compete with the influx of less expensive handicrafts being produced outside of Tibet.

TAI is working with Tibetan artisans and villagers to create economically sustainable means by which Tibetan-made handicrafts can be produced more inexpensively, and thus create more job opportunities for unemployed people.

TAI’s economic development strategy is broken into three components:

1) Artisan Training
2) Micro financial and enterprise loans
3) Cooperative development

As part of its commitment to bottom-up development, TAI conducts ongoing training throughout Tibet. Training includes improved production techniques, business management training, and design training. Training comes in the form of workshops and ongoing one-on-one training. In order for training to be successful, it must be conducted on an on-going basis.

Furthermore, in order to ensure that the lessons that are taught are also adopted, a marketing component is included. After artisans have received training, selected products are sold through Dropenling. Thus, the artisans learn first-hand that quality sells.

Micro Financial and Enterprise Loans

One of the Key methods for improving Tibetan artisan’s access to market is improving their access to capital.
In working with Tibetan artisans, TAI has implemented a revolving micro-credit fund that allows:

1) TAI to purchase from artisans in advance, and
2) Artisans to apply for small loans in order to improve their business

TAI is currently involved in a purchasing scheme that immediately provides artisans with increased working capital. Rather then taking goods on consignment, TAI purchases the majority of products directly from artisans on an outright basis. This stimulates both production and quality.

In 2005, TAI will move into the second phase of its micro-finance program and begin issuing micro-financial loans to artisans throughout the Lhasa municipality, and Lhoka and Nachu prefectures, so that artisans may improve their business operations. This loan system will also be open to rural villagers so that they may begin handicraft production. Loans will be administered through the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund, which currently operates and administers other micro-financial projects in those areas. Loans will be accompanies by basic business training courses and product development training.

Cooperative Development

One of Tibet’s richest assets is its handicraft tradition. Handicraft production has long been a large component of its everyday existence. In rural Tibet, handicraft production is alive and well through the weaving of nambu (yak wool), production of colorful vests to transport bricks, weaving of traditional rugs, and various other crafts.
The development of cooperatives allows these rural communities the ability to capitalize on their traditions, and in turn, create barriers of entry for imported goods and economies. This allows communities to continue their traditional way of life while increasing their basic level of income.

The TAI approach to cooperative development is simple:
Within a rural community, TAI works to identify local craft producers and identify potential leaders within that group.
In areas where saleable handicrafts are being produced, TAI provides additional training and skill development in order to improve the quality of goods and increase production capacity.

In areas where there are no saleable handicrafts, but the components for specific handicraft production are in place, (such as. spinning wool for sweaters), TAI will arrange for skills development in a specific product area.

Participatory development is an extremely crucial component of co-op development. During these initial stages, TAI works to organize the handicraft producers into the beginnings of the co-op, assisting them in deciding the structure, leadership, and products.
Once a co-op is organized, TAI provides the necessary working capital and access to credit. Through Dropenling Handicraft Development Center the co-op gains access to both a point of sales, and Dropenling’s artisan resource center, which provides artisans with the necessary market research on handicraft trends, business and financial management, and cooperative management.
The ultimate goal of TAI’s co-op development initiative is the development of a cooperative union, which will allow co-ops to organize education, training and business activities together, including joint marketing and bulk purchasing schemes.

Cultural Preservation

At the heart of the Tibet Artisan Initiative is the preservation of Tibetan culture.
As the economy of Tibet changes, the need to promote and preserve cultural practices increases. As cheaper products enter the market, the reliance upon traditionally made products, which are often more expensive to produce, becomes less.

Increasingly master artisans throughout Tibet are passing away without passing on their trade to the next generation taking their craft with them. In addition to new products and producers, TAI has also been working to identify master artisans and document their trades.

Specifically, TAI has adopted a two-prong approach to preserving cultural practices:

1) The preservation of handicraft production practices, and
2) New skills development.

Preserving Practices
Change does not necessarily mean the end of Tibet’s traditions.
Rather the incorporation and the active preservation of cultural practices in the face of this change can ensure that Tibet’s traditions do not die out.

In working with artisans and identifying handicraft producers, TAI has been actively identifying means by which traditional handicraft production can be both preserved and incorporated into Tibet’s growing economy. TAI is currently working with a number of traditional handicraft producers to find ways to preserve their traditions.
Included in this growing list of handicraft traditions are:

Natural Dyeing—Tibetan handicraft producers are becoming increasingly dependent upon imported dyes which, while cheaper and more readily available than natural dyes, have a negative impact on Tibet’s fragile environment. TAI is working with a number of artisans to support natural dyeing.

Tibetan Paper---TAI currently works with a family in Nyimu county to support their traditional papermaking operation and to increase the amount of handmade Tibetan paper being sold in Tibet.

Wangden Carpets—Wangden carpets come from a remote river valley in U-Tsang province and is considered to be the first knotted carpets to be produced in Tibet. Although these carpets were once much sought after and prized by monasteries in Tibet, their production stopped almost completely during the 1950s.

Skills Development

TAI has added a skills development component to its cultural preservation practices. Many of Tibet’s handicrafts are facing extinction because they cannot compete on the open market in their current state. As factory-produced goods flow into the city markets, and eventually make their way down to the village level, hand-produced goods are viewed as being overpriced and outdated, even by the local market.

By working with artisans to improve quality and incorporate their products in a more saleable form, such as using traditional apron fabric to make handbags, artisans are gaining access to a larger market and the ability to continue producing their handicrafts in a traditional manner.

Skills development, as a component of cultural preservation, includes training workshops to improve the quality of products and build production capacity. This does not mean completely altering the process by which artisans are producing these goods, but rather improving on the processes through simple instruction and increased access to material and technology.