Women in rural India are handknitting their way to independence

As a result of Covid-19, many women across rural India are struggling to feed themselves. They are also broken hearted to watch their children go without education. A platform called KOCO has been teaching these women to knit and their garments are incredible. KOCO and the women are now reaching out for Australian corporate support, and it only takes the purchase of 100 garments a month to support an entire village.

KOCO stands for KnitOne (garment), ChangeOne (life), and was founded by Danielle Chiel, an Australian based in Sydney. Danielle says:

“For a living I go into rural villages of southern India, find ladies who have never been to school and ask them if they would learn to handknit. This gives them a trade, and a purpose. My job is then to ensure that as many women from these rural village learn to read, earn enough money to send their children to school, and can add up so they know how to work out if they are given the correct change or not. They gain financial independence, form strong sisterhoods and gain confidence and skills that they themselves never imagined possible.”

For Danielle, one of her most raw observations is that the women have been raised by their parents to be compliant and obedient. They have arranged marriages and then are compliant to their husband’s needs. If they do not comply, there can be severe consequences.

Danielle states, “Work is their safe place. Without work they can’t eat or send their children to school. Now we need a few Australian companies to support these women and in return get some outstanding, unique garments that have been made with more care and attention than any other commercial handknit producer.”

A village can produce 100 garments a month, and the sale of those will enable the women to feed themselves and their children, provide educational resources and claim their own independence. This level of empowerment is truly life changing. Danielle’s intention is clear:

“We are looking for companies who believe in supporting women. We are looking for companies who believe in children being able to go to school. We are looking for companies who could use these garments for corporate gifts or staff benefits. It will be an equal 2-way exchange. We give you beautiful products. You give us our freedom, our identity, our voices and our education.” 

Companies who would like to support this initiative should contact danielle@koco.global

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Koco (https://koco.global) is a B Corp certified endeavour that changes lives in rural villages in Tamil Nadu, India, by educating and employing women to hand knit. KOCO is a member of the Source Ethical Fashion Forum, the Commonwealth Fashion Council and winner of an India Australia Business and Community Award.

For further media information contact: danielle@koco.global