High in the Himalayan Mountains , in the beautiful Kumaon region of Almora, a handful of village women dreamed of a better life for themselves and their families. Their dream was to break free of the shackles of servitude and toil that kept them in poverty, and to bring social and economic empowerment for the women in their province. Their dream was shared by Dena Kaye, daughter of legendary entertainer Danny Kaye, and in 1998 Panchachuli Women Weavers Co-op was born. Through Dena’s wholehearted generosity and love and the Danny Kaye Foundation’s generous grant the first modern hospital in the Kumaon Region of the Himalayas was built and built a girl’s upper school and a Nurses training program was created. A farm was purchased where the vegetable dyes are created by the residents who formerly suffered from leprosy and now live on the Panchachuli farm doing work that affords them productive lives.

Today Panchachuli is a strong and self-reliant family of over 1,000 women, experts in weaving and its related skills. Our goal is to train 2,000 women in our two-year program, thus affording poor and underprivileged women the opportunity of leading meaningful and dignified lives. We have three major production centers, and our marketing network includes domestic buyers and an expanding circle of friends and clients from across the globe.