Kushalta ke Kadam: USHA Silai School Empowers 36-Year-Old Preeti To Build A Better Future
The aim of USHA Silai School has always been to empower the vulnerable and provide them with a better source of livelihood. Keeping up with its motive, here is how the initiative has changed the life of 36-year-old Preeti Khushwaha, a resident of Mustafabad village of Bangarmau block in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. After training from the Silai school, not only did Preeti build a better life for herself and her family, but also helped over 1,500 women in and around her village to learn stitching and become financially independent.
Preeti Khushwaha had a very humble beginning and just like other women of her village, she had to give up her education. Her family married her off at the age of 18 years after which, as a wife, she was expected to restrict herself to running the household, have children and manage the survival of the family with the meagre income of her husband. But she was determined to make her and her family's future better.
In 2011, she got to know about USHA Silai School and signed up for a 7-day residential training. After convincing her husband, Preeti got trained from the Silai school and came back to her village armed with a sewing machine, certificate, signage board, syllabus book and a service manual from the Usha International Limited. She was ready to start her own Silai school.
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.
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by USHA Silai School and NDTV has entered its eighth season. The aim is to empower more women across rural India by teaching them sewing skills and helping them open new doors of opportunities for themselves. The initiative encourages rural women to become financially independent and entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities.
Since 2011, the USHA Silai School initiative has trained more than 12 lakh rural women through over 33,000 Silai schools, spanning over 20,751 villages across India.
The women earn Rs. 4,000 – 5,000 per month on an average, with the highest recorded monthly earning being Rs. 84,000 in a month. This earning works as a catalyst towards building their self-confidence, reducing gender inequities, and raising their stature within their families and in society at large.
Team NDTV | Thursday March 06, 2025Women in rural India, like Geetaben and Leelaben, are transforming lives through Silai Schools and Training Cum Production Centres, fostering empowerment, skill development, and community resilience
- Team NDTV | Wednesday March 05, 2025
Anwara Begum's journey with USHA Silai School in Odisha showcases her transformation into a successful entrepreneur, empowering her community and inspiring young girls toward financial independence
- Team NDTV | Wednesday March 05, 2025
Prabha turned her life around through the USHA Silai School, empowering herself and other women with sewing skills and financial independence
- Team NDTV | Tuesday February 25, 2025
The USHA Silai School empowers women in Ariyalur, like Menaka, fostering financial independence and reshaping family dynamics through essential vocational training
- Team NDTV | Thursday February 20, 2025
USHA International and Rourkela Steel Plant empower rural Odisha women through sewing training, fostering financial independence, sustainable livelihoods and boosting local economies
- Team NDTV | Wednesday February 19, 2025
USHA Silai School and NTPC's Jharkhand initiative builds skills and fosters financial freedom for woman like Jasinta Devi
