Kushalta Ke Kadam
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Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

The Indian Armed Forces have always been at the forefront when it comes to safeguarding the nation's security. Members of the Armed forces have dedicated their lives to the service of the people in more ways than one. Along with protecting the nation, the Indian Armed Forces are building empowered communities across the country. Let's take a glimpse into the collaboration between Usha Silai Schools and various centers, aimed at supporting Army wives and family members with skill development and vocational training.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

Usha Silai Schools are known for their skill development programme in sewing and tailoring across the country. Now, they have extended their impact by establishing community centres in Army residential areas. These centres offer vocational training courses to the families of Army personnel, creating hubs for skill development, knowledge sharing and community bonding.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

As a result of a partnership between the Indian Army and Usha International Limited, countless women who live in and around the Army unit in Beas, Punjab have been given vocational training, sewing machines, and entrepreneurial support.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

For nearly six decades, the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) has dedicated itself to the welfare and empowerment of the families and dependents of Army personnel. AWWA organises vocational training courses across military stations in the country.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

The primary objectives of the Indian Army's association with the Usha Silai Schools are to empower army wives with skills, provide alternate sources of income, particularly in remote or conflict-prone areas, and enable beneficiaries to explore entrepreneurship and contribute to their family's financial well-being.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

This shared objective has also forged a valuable partnership between the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Usha in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, where the CRPF Family Welfare Association (CWA) provides skill development to CRPF wives, bringing within them a sense of accomplishment.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

In collaboration with USHA, the CRPF has set up training and production centres in 19 different CRPF bases to empower the wives and widows of CRPF personnel. So far, 543 women have been trained and certified from various centres in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, and Tamil Nadu, to name a few.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

Another rewarding partnership has taken place in Uncha Amirpur village of Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, where Usha in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation 'Sewaj Neesim Foundation' has started an initiative themed 'Vardi Ka Samman' that is respecting the uniform.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

From everyday home accessories to bags and wallets, the initiative 'Vardi ka Samman' is helping women craft a range of items and make use of resources that are available around them.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

As part of the initiative, women turn old uniforms from the armed forces into different products like laptop bags, tote bags and side bags.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

Usha experts guide the women through the process of gathering and cutting to stitching, thereby harnessing their skills. Upon receiving uniforms, the team carefully checks for any medals, insignia, and name tags and removes them with due respect, before commencing the upcycling process.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

There are around 85 Usha Silai Schools across Uttar Pradesh where trainers from the NGO Parivar Society impart tailoring skills to women from low-income families. This instills a spirit of entrepreneurship and provides much-needed income to help them run their households.

Skillful Collaboration: Usha Partners With Indian Armed Forces To Empower Women

Usha's collaboration with the Sewaj Neesim Foundation is creating empowered communities in rural India and giving these uniforms a new identity, purpose, and dignity along with symbolising service in a different form.

Adopt a Silai School

Adopt a 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.

About the Initiative

About the Initiative

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.

 

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