As USHA Silai School programme continues to create new opportunities for women in rural areas through skill development, it collaborated with autonomous government bodies like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Rajasthan and Punjab and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in Himachal Pradesh. Not only are the collaborations setting up new Silai Schools in these states, but these are also helping women set up sewing based enterprises at the village level.
According to the women training at Silai Schools in Hamirpur, the USHA Silai School Programme has become a lifeline for those who lost their jobs during the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. It has provided families with a source of income at a time when they were facing an extreme financial crisis.
USHA is also working towards reaching out to more women who are in need through its partnership with the family welfare association of CRPF. Under this partnership, the plan is to train 75 women on sewing and stitching and establish five training cum production centres- one each in Bhopal, Ajmer, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Jalandhar.
According to Navneet, a resident at the CRPF Camp, Jalandhar, USHA Silai School initiative will not only help women keep themselves busy, it will also help them develop skills and become financially independent. She added that with trainings as extensive as the one provided by USHA Silai School initiative, women will get empowered and motivated to open their own businesses
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.
By the end of 2022, for every Rs. 100 invested in the training of women, the Usha Silai School generated an average of Rs. 8,300, reported IIT-Delhi study
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Among the aims and objectives of the CRPF Family Welfare Association is to skill the CRPF wives and give them a sense of accomplishment
Renowned for its skill development program in sewing and tailoring, Usha's training cum production centre is enabling the wives of Army personnel at the village level to become financially independent
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