ANA by KARMA(ANA), a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness from Bhutan to the world by selling one scarf at a time, has won cash prize (SD$20,000) from DBS Foundation in the 2017 DBS-NUS Social Venture Challenge Asia (SVC Asia) which supports innovative ideas and social ventures that demonstrate positive, scalable and sustainable social impact within the region.
Quin, founder of ANA Karma shared how a little unexpected act had made up her mind and started this meaningful business in TED Talk 2016. When she traveled to Bhutan in 2014, she met a weaver who was struggling to make ends meet. At the beginning, Quin wanted to buy her a sewing machine but things getting changed after she posted a photo of her handmade scarves. After one night, over 40 orders came in. In two weeks, 100 were sold. This rose to 1,000 within four months, the rest is history.
“Not all of us can do great things, we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa
ANA has grown rapidly and ANA’s scarves’ sales channels are now available in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bhutan, China and even Shopify towards worldwide market. Quin also set up an Ana Trust Fund for these women’s medical needs and for their children’s further education, continuous learning programs to teach these women business skills and financial literacy.
With this window being opened, Bhutanese women weavers become financially independent by utilising their creativity and talent in making handwoven scarves. The are all come from small village in Bhutan, products are 100% handmade cotton and raw silk scarves with by underprivileged women who have not gone to school and no income source. It is colourfast, colourful and creatively designed by the weavers.
Photo Credit: ANA by Karma
Source of Information: TECH Asia
