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Kushalta ke Kadam: USHA Silai School Empowers 36-Year-Old Preeti To Build A Better Future

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.

The families in her village were reluctant at first but then she got three students to join her tailoring school. And as the news spread through word of mouth, by the end of the year she had 30 students.

So far, Preeti has trained over 500 women from her village and about 1,000 from the nearby villages. Five of her students have opened their own Silai schools in the nearby villages.

Today on an average she teaches 24 students every day. She has five sewing machines in her school where she teaches a variety of stitching skills from basic garments to embroidery. She also earns a good amount from stitching suit, frock, and other garments for ladies.

Preeti's hard work helped her leave behind her struggling days. She now earns over Rs. 20,000 per month.

According to Preeti, along with hand-holding by USHA Silai School's, the cooperation and support from her husband have played an important role in success.

By turning adversity into an opportunity, Preeti has not only changed her life, she also made her children's future better and is helping other women also to become financially independent.