Sustenance Of USHA Silai School Teachers And Their Contribution To Society During Crisis

38-year-old Gouri Das from Gumrah village in Barak valley, one of the remotest regions of Assam is a mother of three children, and an USHA Silai School trainer. People in her village say that she is a strong, motivated woman. She runs an USHA Silai School in her house. When she found about USHA conducting a training near her village, got herself enrolled.

After completing the training, she started her own Silai School and has so far trained over 100 women and girls from in and around her village.

Last year, when the country was facing multiple lockdowns due to COVID-29 pandemic, she was able to earn more than Rs. 5 lakh along with her 20 learners by supplying masks to Bandhan Bank, Gram Panchayat, and Assam Gramin Vikash Bank.

For Ms Das's students to have worked the way they did during the pandemic shows the effectiveness of the Silai School model, even during trying times. Because of her Silai School, Ms Das is also able to fulfil her daughter's dream of becoming a trained dancer.

Kahalgaon town of Bhagalpur district, Bihar, Kalawati Sharma also worked nonstop during the Covid crisis, stitching masks and training other women and girls also. As the men in the family lost their livelihoods due to lockdown, they came forward and to the charge of their family's sustenance.

According to Ms Sharma, during the time of the coronavirus outbreak induced lockdown, women who were working with her were forced to stay at home for about five days as there were no orders, no work. They began to fear for their future.

She said that after getting an order from the village head, her Silai School women got work and started earning. But, they were told to arrange for the raw material themselves. As all shops were closed, it was difficult for them to access the required raw material easily. Ms Sharma went to the homes of shopkeepers and requested them to provide the material.

Women and girls working with her were more than willing to work during the pandemic to earn money because the other people in their families lost their source of livelihood.

Ms sharma highlighted that during the pandemic, women worker very hard and earned around Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,500 each per day.

Jayashree Janardhan Ghodvinde who lives in Khalapur block of Raigad, Maharashtra started her Silai School on October 1, 2016. She then learnt sewing and got married at the age of 20 to Janardhan Ghodvinde, an auto-rickshaw driver. Soon after the marriage, she understood the economic limitations of her family. She began to work by taking stitching and sewing orders from her neighbours.

Through a local NGO, she found out about Usha Silai School Program. She was selected owing to her previous knowledge and hard work. After the 7-day residential training, she gained immense confidence and realized the importance of her skill.

On completion of the training, she immediately opened up her Silai School as the basic requisites - certificate, signage, service manual, and a sewing machine -were provided by USHA.

Ms Ghovinde charges Rs. 500 per month from her students. She has bought two more machines which enables her to teach more women in her class. Given her hectic schedule, she cannot work on 'stitching and sewing' orders for blouses, suits etcetera. She earns around Rs. 10000 to Rs. 12000 on an average in a month, solely based on Silai School. By saving every penny, she has managed to return a part of the gold loan that her husband had borrowed from the bank. She has educated her daughter and recently married her off. She has even bought a four-wheeler.