Pakistan is home to about 12 million artisans who are keeping the cottage industry afloat, particularly the centuries old famous South Asian ‘Art & Craft’ ranging from textiles, weaving, woodwork and pottery. The artisans are being exploited in the existing perverted financing and market system wherein they are dependent on middle men for credit, supplies and sales. They work in abysmally poor conditions and mostly languishing in poverty that force them to recourse to child labor by employing their own children to increase income. Some of their washing and dying techniques are also causing environmental degradation, especially contaminates water by washing and dying their products directly in the perennial water streams or the run off ends in those streams.  Besides, the cottage industry, particularly in the region of our operation is not, protected by any statutory law.        

ICIA is striving to protect the artisans, particularly the marginalized workers, form the exploitation of middlemen, by connecting them to the alternate finance and capital facilities and enabling them to enjoy the fruit of their labor by facilitating their access to international markets.