Proud That I Can Teach A Skill To Poor Village Women And Help Them Become Self-Reliant: Rintu Gogoi

Sibsagar: 360 Km North East of capital Guwahati in Assam, is Sibsagar. One of the 32 districts of the state, Sibsagar is known for the ruins and monuments from the Ahom Kingdom, as also its tea gardens. Yet, as picturesque as Assam's tea gardens are, the problems faced by the state are just as glaring. From political, economic to social issues, Assam is plagued by poverty and illiteracy. For many of its families surviving on bare minimum is a challenge. For some farming is the only source of income but that too is never sufficient to sustain a household.

Rintu Gogoi's is a similar story. Wife of an agricultural labourer and mother of two boys, her husband was the sole earning member of the family. Running the house itself was a struggle, let alone saving up for school fees for their two sons.

Since, the entire family was solely dependent on farming activities, which didn't yield enough to meet their basic demands, Rintu's husband had picked up part-time work as a daily wage earner. But their hardships continued unabated.

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It was then that a local NGO worker, Krishak Nyas, urged Rintu to join the USHA Silai School Program.

Krishak Nyas helped me enroll in the USHA training program in Jamugiri in Sibsagar District, said Rintu. After completing a 7-day sewing and embroidery training program, she started her own Silai school in 2013.

"The students pay me Rs 200 admission fees and Rs 300 monthly fees," said Rintu who has, till now trained over 55 women and young girls of her village.

Sometimes earning nearly Rs. 8000 per month, Rintu has managed  to stabilise the financial situation of her family and has even started an additional service of repairing sewing machines.
 When asked what she does with her earnings, Rintu exuded a sense of contentment in being able to provide for her family. "With my earnings, I run the house, buy essentials for the school, and make purchases during festivals" she said.

Her skills were recently recognised by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), who sponsored her to conduct 15-day sewing and embroidery training in her district. Now she has educated her two sons who have each started their own small businesses. As the workload in the school has increased, Rintu has even hired employees to help her run her classes.

"I have five women working for me and one boy who helps me with the stitching work. We stitch salwar kameez, saree and mekhla chadar" she said.

So now Rintu has become a full time entrepreneur who is not only generating extra income for her household but also generating employment. Rintu says,

I am proud that I can teach a skill to poor village women and help them become self-reliant. 

She has gained respect for being a confident, self-reliant woman and is seen as an ideal role model for other women. Her reputation in the village has also enabled her to get loans from banks. "I have taken four loans from Bandhan so far, of Rs. 20,000 each. I have spent that money to set up the school and rebuild my house in phases. Each year, I buy some raw materials for the house," she said.
 

Banks see my certificate and sanction the loan with minimum hassle. So, I hope to make more room in my school and buy a few more machines, so that I can take more orders.

USHA Silai School Program helped Rintu to not just hone her sewing skills but also to engage in smart activities that increased her income and provided her financial stability which many women from Assam's poor districts lack.

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