An artisan of CFM works outside

he Community Friendly Movement (CFM) is a social enterprise based in New Delhi, India, that aims to create wealth for artisan communities by working directly with the producers at the bottom of the supply chain, reducing the number of intermediaries, and selling their quality, handmade products to a larger market. Among the artisans with whom CFM works are twenty wood and lacquer craftsmen of Etikoppaka, who, with assistance from the National Institute of Design, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, and individual social entrepreneurs, have rediscovered traditional local knowledge that has revived the craft.

Using a combination of old and new tools and techniques, the artisans who work with CFM have improved the overall quality and utility of their products, replacing the previously toxic synthetic dyes with all-natural vegetable dyes. Moreover, CFM's ongoing support of local Etikoppaka artisans gives them the opportunity to remain in their village and make a viable living from the production of wood and lacquer items. This reduces the migration of unskilled laborers from the village to the urban centers, and also preserves a valuable traditional craft of India.

Read more about CFM at www.whycfm.org.