At Kandygs, the backbone of our weaving community is women. We are dedicated to safeguarding the traditional handloom weaving industry in Sri Lanka by collaborating with women entrepreneurs from rural areas across the country, including Kandy, Gampaha, Batticaloa, and more.
A Women-Dominated Workforce
Historically, the handloom community has been predominantly composed of women. Recognizing their pivotal role, we have launched several initiatives to support them. One such initiative is our "Weaving from Home" project, which enables women to participate in the weaving industry while managing their household responsibilities and caring for their children. This project allows women to work from home, thereby fostering economic independence without compromising their family duties.
Vision and Leadership
Our Director of Designs, Anuradha Yahampath, has always been passionate about sustainability and her Sri Lankan heritage. Her dedication led her to lobby for government support to revive the traditional handloom sector. Her efforts were rewarded with approval from the Ministry of Economic Development to undertake a pilot project with 60 weavers in two villages in Divulapitiya. The success of this project was further amplified by the establishment of a center to assist and coordinate village-level handloom weavers, serving as a crucial marketing resource.
Expansion and Impact
This initial project has now expanded to include over 1,000 handloom weavers. Kandygs provides comprehensive support, including training, design, and raw materials, while marketing their products on a global scale. We regularly visit these projects to ensure our quality standards are upheld. Operating on a 100% buy-back basis, we prioritize our weavers as highly as our customers. The project is accessible to all handloom companies in Sri Lanka, and many individual entrepreneurs have emerged from this initiative. Over the past decade, we have witnessed a significant boom in the local handloom market, a testament to the project's success.
Empowering Communities
Empowered women empower entire communities. At Kandygs, we believe it is our duty to protect and promote the handloom weaving tradition to ultimately improve living standards in the region. By supporting women weavers, we are fostering sustainable development and enhancing the socio-economic fabric of rural Sri Lanka.