Barmer Project

The SIFE Barmer project aimed to make a sustainable impact on the economic  conditions of inhabitants of Barmer, Rajasthan, India by helping with flood  relief as well as by applying the skill sets learnt in the classroom to the  real world     
In our 4 day visit to the area, the project team consisting of 10 CMU students from both the undergraduate and graduate programs, constructed two concrete houses for families whose homes were destroyed with the flood and only had temporary shelter, dug a well for water storage for the two families, held workshops for elementary school children about the global economy and conducted a motivational exercise with high school boys and girls.    Our long term goal is to establish a trade route between local producers of  handicrafts, jewelry and tapestries in Barmer and businesses in and around  Pittsburgh. In Barmer, we procured samples of locally manufactured handicrafts to showcase on campus, and learned about the business model that prevailed in the region. By coordinating with retailers in Pittsburgh and  local artisans in Barmer, we hope to forge a direct link between them, thus  allowing an easier flow of profits directly to the impoverished  manufacturers. Details of the Barmer Showcase: 
    
Date: Feb 18th (Monday) to Feb 22nd (Friday)  Time: 11am to 5pm  Venue: UC Art Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University