Diparani from Assam's Mising tribe, sustains her household by sewing and training other women & girls. At 13 years of age, she started stitching skirts and frocks by running several experiments on her sister’s silai machine. Little did she know that later in life, she would upskill 36 girls in what she considered her hobby. On learning about USHA’s Silai School Intervention in Majuli, she joined the training to enhance her income. She participated in the 7 days training program, and efficiently established her Silai School. Today she earns Rs. 8000. Teaching her skills to students brings her the most joy.
Matilda Mary of Eraiyur, Tamil Nadu, is a self employed tailoring and training entrepreneur. A week long professional tailoring programme by Usha Silai in 2010 was a turning point in Matlida’s life. When Usha gave her a machine, she had set up a centre in the front yard of her house. She trained women from her village for a modest 500 rupees a month. Her quality of work and training became a massive hit and women from her village and the neighborhood flocked to her to get their dresses made and learn sewing. She has trained nearly 200 women in her village.
Rita devi who hails from chotki Sandiya, Bhojpur district of Ara, Bihar had the urge to learn art forms and wanted to adopt new skills. Her wish came true as she got the opportunity to learn at Usha silai school. Rita attended a 7-day training program which helped her to learn about the Sujani art form. Today, Rita trains an ample amount of women about the sujani art and adds skills upon their fingers to script a revolution in areas where traditional form burns bright. Rita has truly shown that learning has no age. She is making her family proud and empowering many other women like her.
India is home to a wide variety of traditional sports. But over the years we have lost touch with our majestic sporting culture and many sports are even on the verge of dying. To re-familiarise the long-lost sports activities, USHA has stepped up to promote various traditional sports across India with the help of women of Silai Schools.
USHA is building a skilled female workforce by partnering with government bodies. Have a look at how these collaborations are offering a fresh ray of hope to women in remote areas of India
USHA is known for building partnerships between NGOs and corporations and offering a fresh ray of hope to women in remote areas of India. Now, the organisation has partnered with various government bodies to build a skilled female workforce
From old martial art form Kalaripayattu, old gymnastics form Mallakhamba to rural sports of Punjab's Qila Raipur, the USHA Silai school has stepped in to promote the forgotten traditional sports activities among the rural youth.
The USHA training centres impart stitching and sewing training to the inmates of District Jail Dimapur and the rural women of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, with an aim to generate employment opportunities for them.
Meet the USHA Silai school heroes who have created a pathway for themselves and uplifted others in learning stitching and sewing skills, despite the physical challenges and social prejudices they have been facing in their lives
While some women are breaking barriers by excelling in traditional forms of martial arts, other women are breaking barriers by fighting social prejudices. Besides teaching sewing and stitching skills in Silai schools, USHA is empowering women and youth to learn and participate in traditonal martial art forms and local sports.
Through USHA Silai schools many women have expanded their small home-based set-ups to improve not just their own prospects but also generate jobs and provide livelihoods for other women. Here's how the Silai Heroes trained by the USHA Silai School Programme are changing their own world, and that of others.
The rural women of Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal have undergone stitching and sewing training in USHA Training Centres, and learned new and traditional art forms of stitching garments. Most of these women are now financially independent and are imparting their knowledge to other women in their villages.
USHA Silai school women are reducing waste generated, by upcycling discarded clothes through traditional stitching practices. These are also increasing the quality and value of their products, enhancing their earnings and improving their lives
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative undertaken in collaboration by NDTV and USHA, aims at empowering women from rural India and encourages to become financially independent. It motivates them to become entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities. Since 2011, Usha Silai Campaign has trained more than 8 lakh women from rural areas, with over 26,878 Silai schools, spanning over 15,689 villages across India.
Kushalta Ke Kadam in Season 6 has returned with new goals, vision, and many new success stories. The new season will witness the establishment of the new partnerships with government, corporate and institutions.It celebrates the women who sustained during the pandemic when the world economy was collapsing, when people were losing their jobs.