With 17,000 Silai Schools, Usha Silai School program has upskilled and empowered over 3 lakh women across 9,000 villages of India. Now, the program has reached remotest islands and villages of India. Here is a story of four empowered women from Sundarbans, Lakshadweep, and Andaman, driven by the ambition to change their lives and find their purpose enriched.
Meet Monika Bijung, a single mother of three children (two daughters and a son), from Andaman and Nicobar Islands who has overcome all her hardships on her own. 10 years ago when Monika's husband left her and their children, Monika contemplated suicide, but somehow she managed to tap into her creative side - sewing and joined USHA Silai School program.
Here is a story of Shakeela Bibi, one of the tiger widows whose husband passed away 10 years ago in a tiger attack in Sundarban's Jhingekhali Island. While Shakeela, a mother of three had to don the hat of breadwinner to run her family, her daughter left her studies to take care of the two brothers. With the passage of time, Shakeela's sons too dropped out of school to earn and feed their family whereas Shakeela continued doing fishing which would fetch her Rs. 20 - 25 per day.
Shakeela used to practice sewing in her ancestor's house and was partially skilled in tailoring which helped her in getting a sewing machine and training from USHA in 2018. Today, she imparts training to 6-7 learners and works for a local factory to make ?Kantha' (a two layered cloth blanket, popular in rural Bengal).
29-year-old Shabana, a resident of Agatti Island of Lakshwadeep, has always faced financial difficulty, courtesy irregular income from her job and designing work. The lack of financial stability makes it difficult for Shabana to run her house and feed her two children. Also, her husband who works at the ship stays away from his family for six months straight.
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by NDTV and USHA, aims at empowering women from rural India and encourages them to become entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities. Since 2011 Usha Silai Campaign has trained more than 3.95 lakh rural women within five years, with 17,000 Silai schools, spanning over 9272 Indian villages in India.
Kushalta Ke Kadam in Season 4 has returned with new goals and vision. The new season will witness the establishment of the new cluster in Kashmir, apart from the existing four clusters setup last year. The women from volatile Kashmir will work with well-known fashion designer Rohit Bal and get an unique opportunity to learn from him and make clothes for him. The work done by the Silai School women will be presented at Lakme Fashion week 2019.
With an aim to promote sustainable living, USHA Silai School program has joined hands with institutions working on environmental issues
USHA Silai School is helping the survivors of rape and trafficking carve out their own destinies through stitching and sewing
As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Public Sector Undertakings like Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) and National Building Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC) have collaborated with USHA International Limited to set up Silai Schools around the mining area in Dhanbad and steel plant in Rourkela
With an aim to help students and women in Kashmir and Punjab fulfil their dream of a better future, USHA has collaborated with educational institutions for setting up new Silai Schools
In the current season of Kushalta Ke Kadam, autonomous government bodies like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) partnered with USHA Silai Schools to provide skill development and livelihood opportunities to women
USHA SIlai School initiative, in partnership with state governments of Meghalaya and West Bengal, is empowering women by helping them learn various techniques of stitching
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This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics © Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2021. All rights reserved.