Our Story

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Our Founder.

BaSE was founded by an Italian Xaverian missionary, Fr. Giovanni Abbiati, who was also known as Fr. John. He witnessed the poverty and difficult living conditions of the villagers, especially the underprivileged women. He wanted to make a positive change but without creating economic dependency through direct financial support. He discovered that the village women were skilled in crafting household decorative items using jute, and decided to offer them an opportunity to develop their traditional skills and prepare these products for the market. He started a specific group in Bhoberpara village to export these goods and devoted his life to improving the livelihood of the disadvantaged handicraft producers.

The BaSE concept was born in 1977 and officially formed in 1999 to coordinate the handicraft activities of various producer groups operating in the South-West part of Bangladesh. United under BaSE, these groups, which were not part of the mainstream, were given the chance to promote their products. BaSE stands for Bangladesh Shilpo Ekota, which translates to United Artisans of Bangladesh.

In 2009, Fr. John passed away in a tragic road accident. After his sudden demise, with the leadership of Shourove Ansari and collaboration with all producers, partners, Xaverian society, Fr. John’s family, and Sondrio Friends, BaSE was reformed and continues on its development journey.

Vision Statements.

We envision economically self-sufficient, socially recognized, culturally empowered, and morally aware, dignified women in Bangladesh.

Mission Statements.

BaSE’s mission is to allow women of Bangladesh weaving their dignity, self-consciousness, and self-sufficiency with their own hands and through craftsmanship, inspired by their traditions and handicraft legacy.

Value & Ethical Guidelines.

Without discrimination for gender, color, caste, and creed, the organization is completely charitable, beneficial, educational, non-political, non-communal, and non-profitable. It intends to be a non-discriminating organization with no regard to nation, color, creed, and gender.

Current Social Objectives.

We focus on producer development through work opportunities, education, health support for families, and capacity building of human resources.

BaSE Producer Groups.

The BaSE consists of different types of members – Direct Groups, Associates Groups, and Occasional.

The specifications are:

• Direct Groups: These groups receive direct support from BaSE in areas such as legal matters, adherence to the 10 WFTO Fair Trade Principles, production management, packaging, and shipments. The direct groups include; Bhoberpara Mohila Hosto Shilpo (BH), Banchte Shekha Handicrafts (BSH), Baniarchor Group (BA), Khalishpur Group (KHC), Rupsha Group (BLU), Mashwar Pasha Group (MHP), Rampal Group (RAM), Bonochaya Mohila Shomity (BC), Rajapur Group (RAJ).
• Associate Groups: These groups have their own management structures and reflect in them a commitment to justice, fair employment, public accountability, progressive working practices, equal gender balance and abolition of child labour. The associates groups are Valerian Handicrafts (SH), Rishilpi Handicrafts (SAT), Charka Handicrafts (CH).
• Occasional Groups/Members: This category provides export facilities for mutual organizations. The occasional groups include: ALX and Others.

BaSE’s Reach and Impact: Through this expansive network, BaSE empowers communities and brings sustainable craftsmanship to the world.

• Divisions: BaSE operates across three major divisions in Bangladesh: Khulna, Dhaka, and Barishal.
• Districts: Our efforts span seven districts: Khulna, Jashore, Meherpur, Satkhira, Faridpur, Bagerhat, and Barishal.
• Villages: Over 100 villages within these districts are home to BaSE’s dedicated producers.
• Producers: Around 5,000 producers, organized into 12 groups (direct and associate), contribute to our projects, with numbers adapting to meet annual production demands.
• Team: Our team includes 15 direct staff (7 men and 8 women) and 33 indirect managers and supervisors (21 women and 12 men) who skillfully manage production across the communities.

BaSE Leadership Organogram.

BaSE Activities Map.