Mon Ami Foundation - Blogs #crochetMon Ami Foundation - Blogs #crochethttps://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/tag/crochet1Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:22:37 +0530http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Last Mile Impact and Collaboration]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/last-mile-impact-and-collaborationTrue last mile impact isn't found in spreadsheets, but in behavioral change and community agency. Beyond reaching numbers, it’s about nurturing local champions who inspire a ripple effect of long-term transformation.]]>
Mile Impact and Collaboration

When we talk about impact assessment, the conversation often stops at numbers—beneficiaries reached, income generated, or funds disbursed. These metrics, usually compiled by third-party agencies, satisfy regulatory requirements but rarely capture the deeper story. True last mile impact is not about ticking boxes; it is about long-term transformation in habits, aspirations, and community resilience.


Consider hygiene practices, food choices, education, or even gender sensitivity. These are not easily quantified, yet they define whether an intervention has genuinely shifted the trajectory of a community. Unfortunately, field staff conducting assessments often lack emotional investment. Their reports emphasize scale over depth: 1,000 people earning ₹1,000 each is rated higher than 50 individuals consistently earning ₹10,000. But which scenario truly breaks cycles of poverty?


Real change happens when projects create role models—individuals who embody possibility and inspire others. Numbers alone cannot measure hope, dignity, or the courage to challenge entrenched norms. Communities need aspirational frameworks, not handouts. They must see that escaping poverty is possible but also recognize that the responsibility lies with them to take charge of their own progress.


At Mon Ami Foundation, our Red Earth Model is built on this philosophy. We nurture community resource persons who act as catalysts, encouraging peers to adopt new practices and envision brighter futures. For us, impact is not an entry in an Excel sheet—it is the ripple effect of one person’s transformation inspiring many others.


Collaboration, therefore, must go beyond compliance-driven assessments. It requires empathy, storytelling, and a commitment to measuring what truly matters: sustained behavioural change, strengthened social fabric, and the emergence of local champions. That is the essence of last mile impact—where numbers fade but hope and agency endure.                                                                                                                                

]]>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:40:12 +0530<![CDATA[Why Should All the Turtles Look the Same?]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/why-should-all-the-turtles-look-the-sameWhy Should All the Turtles Look the Same? In our CraftHub, this question sparks endless debate:  why should all the turtles look the same?  As ]]>
Turtle
Why Should All the Turtles Look the Same?

In our CraftHub, this question sparks endless debate: why should all the turtles look the same? As we build capacity and train artisans to produce multiple units of the same product, we aim for a remarkable 95% likeness across dozens of pieces. It’s a demanding standard, especially when multiple artisans are racing against deadlines. Even when the design criteria are met, subtle differences emerge—tiny variations in curve, finish, or detail.


Our buyers, though supportive of artisan work, often come from a background of purchasing bulk, machine-made imports from neighbouring countries. They are accustomed to absolute uniformity: rows of identical products, each indistinguishable from the next. Against that backdrop, our handcrafted pieces sometimes feel “different.” And so begins the delightful conversation: why should they all look the same?


Machines excel at replication. They erase individuality in favour of efficiency. But handmade products carry the imprint of the human hand—the rhythm of the artisan’s skill, the nuance of their touch, the story of their craft. Each piece is not just an object; it is a signature. When we pause from machine-made perfection, we discover beauty in individuality. The slight differences are not flaws; they are proof of authenticity.


Uniformity has its place in mass production. But in artisan work, sameness risks stripping away the very soul of the craft. Buyers who embrace individuality are not just purchasing a product; they are investing in heritage, creativity, and human connection. Each turtle, while similar, carries its own personality. And isn’t that worth celebrating?


So, the next time someone asks why all the turtles don’t look the same, perhaps the better question is: why would we want them to?

]]>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:59:02 +0530<![CDATA[Communities and Collaboration]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/communities-and-collaboration

Communities and Collaboration

Indias heritage with handicrafts is legendary, with techniques and proficiencies handed down from one generation to the next.

Crafters work collectively to produce designs that have withstood the test of time. Whether its the marble carvers from Agra, Kanchipuram silk weavers, toymakers of Channapatna, filigree artisans of Cuttack, block printers of Ajrakhpur or textile handicrafters of Bhuj, the power of communities crafting together is undeniable. However, what these crafters lack is the ability to take designs to the next level. With no formal training in design or skill development, they are reliant on external support to help them reinvent their craft to make it relevant to contemporary needs.

Mon Ami Foundation, in association with HCL Foundations Craft Hub works with migrant communities to develop a sustainable livelihood through crochet crafting. By offering design and marketing support to these communities, crafters create innovative products with utilitarian value in urban markets. During their interactions with migrant women, Mon Ami Foundation has seen that working in communities helps:

  • Empower women: by learning an additional skill, these women have the opportunity to earn an incremental income and become economically independent
  • Create narratives that count: the sense of accomplishment on getting a stitch perfect and creating a marketable product, while working among peers, gives an inexplicable boost of confidence to these women.
  • Weave meaningful conversations: normally used to working alone, and displaced from their families, community initiatives give women a sense of belonging and purpose.
  • Pave career pathways for Gen-Next: childcare becomes a part of working in communities. With little girls often accompanying their mothers and picking up crochet skills over time, there is a sense of continuity.
Working with women in communities, the crochet movement lead by Mon Ami Foundation and HCL Foundations Craft Hub, that began 2015 impacts the lives of 100 families in Delhi NCR.

In the years to come, we would like to expand our reach in different areas in terms of the crafters we skill, the markets we cater to and the corporates we collaborate with.

To become a market linkage partner or to commission direct projects, do connect: contact@monamifoundation.com
]]>Sat, 06 Feb 2021 18:40:00 +0530<![CDATA[Recrafting Lives Through a Crochet Connect]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/recrafting-lives-through-a-crochet-connect

Recrafting Lives Through a Crochet Connect

Crochet, the art of creating a textured fabric using yarn and a single hook, has been carried on since the 16th century. Skilled hands make intricate designs through the hypnotic in & out movement of a hook, therapeutic in itself, while finished products lend themselves to an immense sense of personal accomplishment.

Although there is no concrete evidence, the Macraes, a missionary couple from Scotland, are credited with the introduction of crochet to India in the early 20th century. Initially used for prayer rugs & caps within the Muslim community and in Christian ceremonies, crochet has transcended all boundaries and become popular across the country. Women in India took to crocheting with ease, possibly on account of their inherent predisposition to craft.

Today, with an influx of migrant workers into cities, there has been a paradigm shift in the way women are expected to contribute to the family income. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of migrant women are able to seek employment as they are burdened with frequent pregnancies, child-care responsibilities, caring for the elderly and coping with health issues. How are these women to overcome their challenges and contribute to the family income?

Mon Ami Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit Trust is committed to helping these migrant women earn a sustainable livelihood through crochet skill building efforts. Crochet, is an extremely useful skill to impart for the following reasons:
  • Low initial investment can start with a crochet work-from-home bundle
  • Easy to teach and learn
  • All age groups can be trained
  • Cannot be unlearned can fall back on the skill anytime
  • Provides a sense of community working in self-help groups
  • Option to conduct remote training through technology
  • Can work from home free time can be used to earn additional income
Although migrant women have been displaced, crochet allows them to reconnect with their intrinsic skills and create products by hand. Working independently, Mon Ami Foundation has trained 400 women. Today, along with HCL Foundations Craft Hub, Mon Ami Foundation has trained 100 women in NCR. Together, they are in the process of setting up the largest crochet movement in the country.

To become a market linkage partner or to commission direct projects, do connect: contact@monamifoundation.com

]]>Thu, 03 Dec 2020 18:16:00 +0530<![CDATA[Toys for children]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/toys-for-children
Toys for children

Ektara as the word literally means EK TAR or One Thread. We started this initiative reaching out to semi-skilled women in rural pockets of NCR region, striving to provide them sustainable income.
This thread begins from the women who craft these toys to the young children who love playing with them. The thread of happiness and the circle of love is one of a kind that is growing in numbers.
We have reached out to several schools in the past few years showcasing the project, as well, demonstrating the craft, sharing stories and story telling with these toys.
These toys are now being produced for larger stores like Fabindia and sold across India.
https://youtu.be/HydFpH9VBP8
]]>Tue, 30 May 2017 20:52:00 +0530<![CDATA[Paris Ethical Fashion]]>https://www.monamifoundation.com/blogs/post/project-ektara-womenaes-skill-development-project

Project Ektara- Womens skill development project

A craft revival project, generating income for marginalised income groups, mostly women in the NCR region. The project provides remunerative work to semi- skilled women. The women craft crochet toys from their homes with the material provided. The toys are made in safe materials that are designed to enhance motor skills, cognitive skills in infants and young children. The project began with a small group of women in Nizamuddin Basti. Hope foundation has a livelihood project and as a part of that women were being imparted training in stitching, embroidery and other craft related activities. They were keen to connect to a new market where their skills of crochet and knitting could be used.


Crocheted and knitting as a craft has been known to women across North India.Crocheted products seen in the market have very limited marketability and have slowly been dwindling.

We began developing toys as handcrafted toys with an Indian identity really dont exist. Traditional toys that have been seen in the market are mostly wooden toys. With the influx of Chinese toys with a lot of plastic we found that there was a huge gap that existed in the Indian market. We mostly wanted to created safe toys that would be ideal for young children. Safe cotton was used, the dyes were carefully done to ensure that the end product that comes out can be easily be used by infants and toddlers. As the product development took place and a small set of products were test marketed we realised the need to expand the production base as well as the designs.


Each design, each product was carefully researched, and tested on young infants before it went to production. Childrens reactions were taken as essentail feedback to better each product.

The project soon became larger with more women joining in. A so called winter skill where women only had work during the winter season to knit sweaters now had work though the year.

At all points of time a fine balance had to be maintained between women who had learnt to mould the toys and to sustain them and to ensure continuous sales. The materials were always provided to them to ensure safety and quality.

]]>Tue, 30 May 2017 20:52:00 +0530