Mahila Umang Producers Company Limited was set up in 2001 by Grassroots women, who lived out to form a collective of woman’s Self Help Groups to support and facilitate the growth of these micro-enterprises. Today over 2500 women in rural Kumaon are engaged in improving the quality of life for their families through the sales of hand knitted woollens, fruit preserves & pickles, natural honey, beeswax candles and natural spices. All products are marketed under the brand name Kumaoni and Himkhadya. Every purchase directly assists the resource-poor households through trade and not aid.
The cross cutting sectors of the parent entity Grassroots also include: drinking water& sanitation management, renewable energy, catchment area treatment, rainwater harvesting, land use and animal husbandry, sustainable community development strategies, training and technology transfer, micro enterprises and marketing – with the idea of promoting overall, sustainable development. Their twin-pronged approach – participatory and holistic is the Kumaon Artisans Guild. Trained in the installation and maintenance of appropriate technology, the Guild has been spearheading the spread of sustainable development across the central and western Himalaya in partnership with community-based organisations. .