In the second year of IDS support, LiftUP provided seed funding to Tamul Plates in Assam to produce and market high quality, all-natural disposable plates and bowls made from arecanut (palm tree) leaves. The company produces din­nerware through a network of affiliates across the tribal regions of northeast India and ensures that each affiliate has the skills and machinery necessary to produce superior quality arecanut products. Tamul Plates has grown into a busi­ness employing over 500 people and has attracted investors who contributed over $50,000. The com­pany expects to triple its capacity in 2016.

During the third year of IDS support, LiftUP seed funding went to support Elrhino, a com­pany that produces and sells handcrafted lux­ury paper, stationery products, and packaging materials made from recycled rhinoceros and elephant dung. Elrhino is still a relatively small company, employing approximately fifteen peo­ple (mostly women) in the rural areas around Guwahati. The company expects to double its capacity by the end of the year.

Elrhino manages the entire dung paper pro­duction chain including collection, preparation, processing, and sale of finished dung paper products. A young Assam native woman leads the initiative and is building on the work begun by her parents over a decade ago to create new livelihoods and increase the value of rhinoceros and elephants to local villagers.

–2014 IDS annual report