This project seeks to address economic exclusion among female Indigenous weavers in Sarawak, Malaysia, who rely on creating and selling traditional rattan handicrafts to sustain their livelihoods. Despite generations of traditional rattan weaving skills passed down within their communities, geographic isolation from urban markets, market competition, and social barriers prevent sustained income generation for these weavers. The research examines the efforts of Helping Hands Penan (HHP), a volunteer-run social enterprise, to address these gaps by connecting Penan weavers with the wider markets through direct purchasing of their handicrafts, and profit reinvestment into improving the community’s living conditions and funding children’s education. Through ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with HHP-affiliated and unaffiliated weavers in the Long Lilim village, this study explores the structural, organizational, and socio-cultural factors shaping market access, and identifies key barriers and opportunities for more inclusive craft-based development. The findings underscore how social enterprises can inadvertently reproduce inequalities among their beneficiaries, and highlight the need for justice-oriented strategies to support more equitable and sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous communities across Malaysia.
