Successful Completion of Brass Artisanship LEDP in Moradabad

A New Chapter in Livelihood Creation

Abhivyakti Foundation proudly announces the successful completion of the Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP) on Brass Artisanship in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh a region globally renowned as “The Brass City.” This flagship initiative, implemented by Abhivyakti Foundation with the financial and technical support of NABARD, aimed to empower rural women artisans by building their skills, entrepreneurship capacity, and access to sustainable livelihoods through brass craftsmanship.

The project marked a major milestone in revitalizing traditional artisanship with modern enterprise tools, blending indigenous skills with market demand, innovation, and technology. Through this intervention, women artisans have evolved from daily-wage earners to independent entrepreneurs capable of managing production, marketing, and financial operations confidently.

Programme Overview and Highlights

The LEDP was carefully designed to combine hands-on training with enterprise development support. Through practical sessions, exposure visits, and business guidance, the participants were transformed from skilled artisans into confident micro-entrepreneurs.

This carefully structured programme not only imparted advanced skills but also introduced women to real market scenarios, entrepreneurship planning, and sustainable income models.

Comprehensive Skill Development and Learning Outcomes

The training curriculum was structured to deliver practical, market-oriented learning through demonstrations, interactive workshops, and exposure visits. The focus was on developing both traditional craftsmanship and modern enterprise skills, bridging the gap between heritage and contemporary markets.

Core Learning Components:

• • Traditional and Modern Brass Crafting Techniques: Revitalizing etching, molding, casting, and polishing methods while adopting new machinery and finishing standards aligned with export requirements.
• • Product Design and Innovation: Introducing new motifs, combinations, and styles to suit evolving consumer preferences in home décor, gifting, and utility segments.
• • Quality Control and Standardization: Understanding defect management, polishing grades, and finishing excellence to ensure premium output quality.
• • Branding and Packaging: Training in attractive packaging, labeling, and presentation to enhance product value and retail appeal.
• • Entrepreneurship and Business Management: Modules on business planning, cost estimation, profit margins, inventory management, and customer relations.
• • Digital Marketing and E-commerce Enablement: Capacity building on product photography, catalog creation, online sales platforms, and social media marketing.
• • Financial Literacy: Teaching basic accounting, savings, pricing, and access to credit for business expansion.

Visible Impact and Transformation

The impact of this NABARD-supported LEDP has been transformational, with remarkable progress in income generation, enterprise formation, and confidence building among participants. The outcomes demonstrate how skill, opportunity, and mentorship can converge to create enduring change.

Key Achievements and Measurable Impact:

• • Entrepreneurial Success: 85% of trained women have started their own micro-enterprises, producing brass décor, utility, and customized products.
• • Collective Growth: 12 SHGs have formally structured themselves into producer groups to fulfill large orders and participate in exhibitions.
• • Market Integration: 20 participants have entered into supply agreements with reputed export houses in Moradabad and Delhi.
• • Income Enhancement: Average monthly earnings of artisans have grown by over 70%, from ₹3,000–₹4,000 earlier to ₹12,000–₹18,000 post-training.
• • Digital Empowerment: 65% of participants now promote and sell their products through digital platforms, improving market reach and transparency.
• • Product Diversification: 40% of artisans have started creating new product lines by combining brass with wood, glass, and eco-friendly materials.
• • Confidence and Social Status: Women reported greater decision-making power within their households and enhanced social recognition as skilled entrepreneurs.

The LEDP has truly demonstrated how NABARD’s livelihood initiatives, when coupled with community-driven implementation, can empower women to move from dependency to self-reliance.

Impact and Achievements

The LEDP in Moradabad has demonstrated transformational outcomes in both skill enhancement and income generation. The initiative has not only upgraded the artisans’ technical expertise but also instilled confidence, leadership, and collective entrepreneurial spirit among SHG members.

These achievements clearly reflect the socio-economic empowerment brought about by the programme. Women artisans, once confined to small household-level work, have now emerged as confident entrepreneurs managing their own production units.

Inspiring Transformation: Reshma’s Journey

Reshma Begum, a 32-year-old mother of three from Deespur village, embodies the spirit of transformation that this programme aimed to achieve. Coming from a family with a legacy of brass work, Reshma’s skills were basic, and her monthly income was barely ₹3,000. Her dreams of designing her own products remained unfulfilled—until she joined the LEDP training supported by NABARD and facilitated by Abhivyakti Foundation.

Under the mentorship of master trainers, she mastered advanced etching techniques, explored modern design concepts, and learned how to market her creations online. The training on financial literacy and pricing helped her set up her own business with clear growth targets.

Today, Reshma leads a team of 7 women artisans, producing high-quality brass home décor items that are showcased in a Delhi-based handicraft emporium and listed on e-commerce platforms for international buyers. Her monthly income has now reached ₹15,000, and she proudly manages her enterprise from home, balancing work and family.

“The training taught me that my traditional knowledge, when refined with modern skills, can create wonders. I now train other women in my community,” says Reshma with pride.

Reshma’s success has become a beacon of hope and inspiration, motivating others to follow her path toward empowerment and self-reliance.

Market Linkages and Enterprise Development

The LEDP programme ensured that participants were not only trained but also connected to real market opportunities. Abhivyakti Foundation facilitated crucial linkages that enabled artisans to reach wider audiences.

Established Market Linkages:

• • Collaboration with local handicraft emporiums and retail outlets to stock and sell brass products
• • Listing of products on digital marketplaces and e-commerce platforms promoting handcrafted goods
• • Partnership with export houses to fulfill bulk orders
• • Coordination with the Tourism Department for showcasing products in craft fairs and exhibitions

Additionally, producer groups formed by trained SHGs have begun fulfilling larger orders collectively, ensuring scale, consistency, and sustainable income.

Sustaining the Impact: Post-Training Support

Abhivyakti Foundation recognizes that the journey to entrepreneurship doesn’t end with training. To ensure long-term success, the following post-programme support mechanisms have been established:

• • Monthly Follow-Up and Monitoring: Continuous mentorship and progress tracking for six months post-training
• • Business Mentorship: Regular guidance from industry professionals on production planning and marketing
• • Financial Facilitation: Support in linking SHGs with banks and micro-finance institutions for credit and business expansion
• • Market Exposure: Participation in state and national-level handicraft exhibitions to build visibility and market confidence
• • Quality Standardization Workshops: Ongoing refresher sessions to maintain product consistency and enhance brand identity

This holistic approach ensures that the impact created is deep-rooted and sustainable, fostering a self-sufficient artisan ecosystem in Moradabad.

Partners in Progress

The success of the Brass Artisanship LEDP is the result of collective effort and collaboration among several partners and stakeholders.

• • NABARD: Provided financial and technical support, enabling high-quality implementation of the LEDP model.
• • District Industries Centre, Moradabad: Offered logistical and technical assistance for training and market integration.
• • Moradabad Handicrafts Export Association: Facilitated connections with exporters and buyers.
• • Local Community Leaders: Supported mobilization and participation of SHG women across villages.

Looking Ahead: Scaling the Success

Encouraged by the outstanding success and measurable impact of the LEDP in Moradabad, Abhivyakti Foundation plans to replicate and scale this model to nearby districts with strong artisanal potential such as Sambhal and Rampur. The upcoming phase will integrate green production techniques, branding support, and digital literacy expansion to prepare rural women artisans for the global marketplace.

The Brass Artisanship LEDP stands as a shining example of how traditional craftsmanship, when combined with modern skill enhancement, digital empowerment, and financial inclusion, can transform livelihoods and communities—truly aligning with NABARD’s vision of inclusive rural development and women-led enterprise creation.