Since its inception in 2011, USHA Silai School has been empowering women in the rural areas across the county by equipping them with the skill of stitching. This year, USHA International Limited strengthened its partnership with the state governments of Meghalaya and West Bengal with an aim to reach out to thousands of women and help them improve their lives.
In Meghalaya, USHA Silai School collaborated with Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society (MSRLS), a state government's initiative under National Rural Livelihood Mission. The partnership is focused on training women in making cloth bags, an alternative to single-use plastic bags, which have been banned by the state government.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, women at training centres were provided with the training in stitching masks that comply with the central government's guidelines. According to R.M Kurbah, Deputy Commissioner, Ri Bhoi district, more than 4-5 lakh masks were stitched and distributed to the people under this initiative.
In West Bengal, USHA International Limited along with West Bengal Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Castes Finance and Development Corporation, established 3,500 new Silai Schools in 2019. To further strengthen the initiative in the state, 29 more Silai Schools have been set up under by the partners in villages near Bongaon which is at around 130 kilometres away from Kolkata.
Jyotsna, who is running a small tailoring business, has now started her own Silai school. She is currently teaching eight women and earn about Rs. 2,500 from stitching orders. Jyotsna who wishes to fulfil all the needs of her two daughters and provide them with better education, hopes to earn more once the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is over.
40-year-old Sushmita Saha who lives with her husband and a daughter in Sherbazar village of South 24 Parganas suffered depression in 2017 after the death of her elder daughter. Sushmita's husband who has been into tailoring business for the past 22 years, motivated her to join the six-month tailoring course USHA Silai School to help her keep herself engaged. During the training, she developed a passion for stitching and has been successful in setting up the USHA Silai School in the area.
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by NDTV and USHA, aims at empowering women from rural India and encourages them to become entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities. Since 2011 Usha Silai Campaign has trained more than 3.95 lakh rural women within five years, with 17,000 Silai schools, spanning over 9272 Indian villages in India.
Kushalta Ke Kadam in Season 4 has returned with new goals and vision. The new season will witness the establishment of the new cluster in Kashmir, apart from the existing four clusters setup last year. The women from volatile Kashmir will work with well-known fashion designer Rohit Bal and get an unique opportunity to learn from him and make clothes for him. The work done by the Silai School women will be presented at Lakme Fashion week 2019.
USHA hopes they will be able to capitalise on this advantage and that their continued intervention will turn Puducherry into a strong contender in the silambam circuit of India
USHA has been persistently promoting local traditions and culture around the country, whether through traditional forms of art and craft or indigenous forms of spor
Yoga is practised worldwide by millions of people in many forms and variations. At its core, it is a mind-body practise combining physical posture, breathing techniques, and meditation for both health and relaxation
USHA has been joining hands with like minded partners as well as individuals to bring the benefits to as many women beneficiaries as possible
The North Western Railway Womens Welfare Organisation (NWRWWO) has been committed to working for the welfare of railway employees and their families. In addition to this Silai school, they have donated RO water plants and promoted sports in various regions
With the plastic ban in the state, the Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society (MSRLS) saw this as an opportunity to curb pollution and create employment for women who could stitch cloth bags