This campaign is now closed. Thank you for all your support! We will be dividng the donations to all of our NTT Ikat artisans.
*For logistic reasons, we can ship face masks only to people based in the Netherlands
The art of sustainable Ikat hand-weaving is endangered to extinction. With this, the heritage disappears, the culture thinners out, and artisans together with their families are suffering extreme poverty. We are inviting you to help us break the chain of unfortunate events for the ikat weavers through the empowerment of artisans economically and beyond. We are not supplying aid - we are offering ikat weavers an opportunity to support themselves through the continuation of the ancient tradition. Ikat stands for much more than a piece of fabric - it is a history of a nation told through the intricate patterns, it is a representation of community come together and a source of income for women and their families.
A problem to tackle
The NTT province in Indonesia suffers high rates of poverty due to the lack of employment. Before the breakout of the pandemic women of the region would come together to weave beautiful ikat fabrics by hand, employing the techniques taught to them by mother through generations. Today weavers find themselves with skill, knowledge, and eagerness to work but with no necessary materials. Little income brought by men who are busy mostly fish farming (the most developed economical sector yet very limited) is barely enough to cover the basic needs of a family, not even to mention spending on the inputs necessary for weaving.
A proposed solution
Infrastructure for economic independence & preservation of culture, not one-time aid.
STEP 1: With the platform projects developed by CCD-NL we develop the working strategy for economic empowerment and cultural development for ikat weavers. We have created and continue to sustain the webshop which connects artisans directly with buyers cutting the intermediary costs; we connect artisans with designers in Europe and beyond; we raise awareness about Indonesian sustainably woven ikat and develop promotional activities for the artisans. Click here to get regular updates.
STEP 2: Our kind donors (hopefully you too) help to supply artisans with the set of materials necessary for the production of Ikat fabric, which is then sold, and the earning are invested to cover the production costs in the next cycle. Every 40 euros raised are donated to the group of artisans who can earn up to 200 euros to invest back into the production.
STEP 3: Artisans produce sustainable fabrics using only natural non-toxic materials and by doing so they continue the tradition, sustain the culture, and support themselves economically without compromising the cultural and environmental values.
Direct beneficiaries
Ikat fabric is never made single-handedly: supporting weavers means supporting the communities.
With the current campaign, we support artisans in the NTT province in Indonesia. At the moment we are focused on helping three artisan groups coming from the regions of Alor, Belu, and Rote-Ndao in NTT. When the target on 1000 euros we can directly support 25 artisans, but the benefits of support exceed this number by 3 or even 4 times the amount, as the fabric is never made single-handedly.
Beneficiation per artisan
With every 40 euros raised we supply each artisan a set of materials necessary for the production of 2-3 pieces of IKAT fabric: 2 bundles if white yarn, 1 bundle of colored yarn, natural (non-toxic) dyes, 1 bundle of raffia rope, clean water to wash the yarn; and cover the transportation cost to collect the materials.
How can you help?
All donations matter and every donation make a difference! Every donor is informed about the distribution of their donation in detail.
- Those who donate € 10 and more will receive a beautiful ikat patterned face mask.
- Those who donate over € 40 will receive a personal letter from one of the artisans translated to the language of your choice.
- Those who donate over € 300 will have an opportunity to own a hand-woven ikat from Indonesia (this depends on the total amount of donations)
WE ADMIRE YOU FOR MAKING WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
A world where the hard work of craftsmen is valued; where heritage is a treasure; where textiles are produced ethically with no negative impact on the environment or society.
WE ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE: info@ccd-nl.org
Donate now 
