... young craftsmen get together in co-operatives to make these jute slippers entirely for the export market ...

Jute slippers are a new addition to the range of shoes being made by small shoemaking units in south Bengal. There was a sudden demand for them in the international market and these shoe making units had to only slightly modify their skills to undertake these orders.

Both the units Sasha deals with are smaller units working under the umbrella of a larger development organization. The craftsmen working here are young and have been trained recently. They had been depending on the local markets totally and in both cases, this large export order completely revitalized the units. They have gained a lot in confidence because of the experience of handling a relatively large order in a short period of time. They are now enthusiastic about trying new designs and markets.

The umbrella organization in both cases is about 30 years old and has been involved in community projects of various types like agriculture, education, dairy, weaving, tailoring etc. This gives them a lot of experience with different work methods and a rich fund of stories and the younger shoemaking units get the full benefit of this. They also help them with funding for space, working capital and machines.