Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by USHA Silai School and NDTV has entered its eleventh season. The aim is to empower women from rural India and encourage them to become entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities and helping them open new doors of opportunities for themselves.
USHA Silai School is a community-based initiative with the aim of empowering village women to become entrepreneurs and teach sewing in their respective communities. More than one per cent of the sale of every USHA Sewing Machine is invested into this programme, thereby enabling all Usha customers to share their love with rural women. More than one lakh women are being trained every day.
Since 2011, the USHA Silai School initiative has trained more than 19,09,000 rural women through over 40,423 Silai schools, spanning over 27,533 villages across 643 districts of 28 states and eight Union Territories of India. The initiative has not only helped women of India, but has also in Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
Do you want to be a part of the huge change that Usha Silai School is bringing about in the lives of millions of rural women? With just a simple click of a button, you can now contribute towards the opening of an Usha Silai School or support various other aspects of the school. Donate towards setting up an Usha Silai School by paying Rs. 22,000.
Jini Babu
Jini Babu from Kodakara, Thrissur, Kerala, transformed her life through the Usha Silai School programme. Starting with a modest income of ₹1,000 per month, she joined the programme in January 2021 and gradually built her own micro enterprise through sewing and stitching. Today, she earns approximately ₹30,000 monthly, has trained around 100 learners and currently mentors 15 women.
Pranjali Nilesh Marathe
Pranjali Nilesh Marathe from Vengurla, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, has transformed her life from a homemaker with no personal income into a confident entrepreneur through the Usha Silai School programme. Since joining the programme in 2018, she has established her own tailoring enterprise, earning ₹10,000-₹12,000 per month and contributing significantly to her daughters’ education and household expenses.
Seni Gingba
Seni Gingba from Upper Subansiri, Arunachal Pradesh, overcame financial and geographical challenges to pursue her dream of achieving financial independence through the Usha Silai School programme. Through community mobilisation and skill-based training, she gained the knowledge, confidence, and entrepreneurial mindset needed to establish her own sewing enterprise.
