Envisioning the empowerment and upliftment of the rural and deprived communities, a seed was sown on 7th July 1998, known as Gramin Vikas Evam Chetan Sansthan (GVCS) in Barmer, Rajasthan. 

It is a non-governmental, not for profit social welfare association, founded for the enablement of women, to strengthen artisans through crafts promotion and livelihood generation as the core, preservation and promotion of folk songs and folk music. GVCS motto serves “To empower women artisans, to reinstate their value and to make handicraft a viable means of home-based employment.” The idea was to give women financial independence while they work from their home with fulfilling their family responsibilities.

With the sheer determination, commitment, and leadership, GVCS commenced with just 10 members has today become a large organization providing livelihood to more than 22,000 women across 75 villages. This growing network of women artisans engaged in different craft forms has helped GVCS to work on a broad spectrum of rural development activities. Formation of SHGs, fodder for drought-affected cattle, and education programmes for children and women are other initiatives of the organisation.