Urooj Shakeel – Research at Sindh village of Khairpur in Pakistan

With the help of the Enrichment Fund, I traveled to the Sindh village of Khairpur in Pakistan where the non-profit organization, Indus Resource Center, (http://irc-pakistan.org) is working with community members of Khairpur to promote self-sufficiency. IRC also helped establish the Khazana Craft Center, a space that provides women artisans in Khairpur a place to practice art making and a safe space to interact with each other. The products and goods that come out of Khazana are then sold in the city of Karachi.

During this trip, I was inspired to create a marketing plan that educates the wider world about the vitality of skills and trade in Khairpur and its mixed nonprofit-for-profit model. I believe highlighting this economic model will help humanize the buying experience and encourage Pakistani consumers to buy from Pakistani sellers who cultivate materials from their own land. As a result, consumer habit will change, which will support village industries, increase IRC funding, and finally, help end dependency on international markets and mass production. More detailed information about my trip and presentation can be found on my blog:

https://www.cocoinchicago.com/single-post/2018/09/09/Khairpur-You-Have-Stolen-My-Heart

https://www.cocoinchicago.com/single-post/2018/09/09/Khazana-Marketing-Plan