Here Is How USHA And Aavas Foundation Are Making Rural Women Self-Reliant

The USHA Silai School programme of USHA International aims to work towards enabling and empowering women in rural areas by building skills and encouraging entrepreneurship among them. For this, the programme has collaborated with corporates like Aavas Financiers Limited through its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme Aavas Foundation that implements its social development initiatives. Aavas foundation aims to benefit and uplift the marginalized sections of the Indian society, to empower them and create an inclusive society. The foundation is now helping in sewing and stitching skill development of rural women of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra and providing them with a sustainable and alternate source of livelihood.

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Aavas Foundation has set up 150 USHA Silai Schools in Rajasthan so far and would be setting up 100 schools in Gujarat this year. These efforts have proved to be very crucial in making women stand on their own feet. Some of the learners chosen for the programmes are disabled or physically weak but they all have the goal of becoming self-sufficient and looking after their families. According to Mary Rupa Tete, Vice President, USHA Social Services,

USHA has always welcomed like-minded institutions to join hands to empower women in rural areas. We have partners like Aavas Foundation, and they have a program called 'Gram Siddhi' where they are looking at a multifaceted approach to development which has elements like financial literacy, skilling, health, sanitation, and a number of issues, and the USHA Silai School Program fits in very well with that program.

Manish Tiwari, Chief, CSR Aavas said that when the organisation was preparing its CSR structure, they saw that USHA Silai School programmes directly impacts and uplift women in rural areas. He added,

USHA Silai School programme is giving them the skills they need to become self-reliant. The purpose of this program is to create impact in every village, through its women. The Aavas Foundation's ‘Gram Siddhi' program is an ambitious programme that seeks to empower villages through their women. We work for the upliftment of the village. The USHA Silai School programme is such a structured and successful programme, that our partnership goes beyond us providing funds as a CSR donor. It is, in fact, USHA that provides us the opportunity to work with them as a partner – a partner to work for and with women, for their upliftment. This is the most important part of the programme. We have trained 150 women in Rajasthan during the pandemic. In the last 6 months, these women have been earning Rs, 3,000 – 5,000, and are supporting their families.

In Gujarat, USHA's collaboration with the Aavas foundation is well exemplified in Ahmedabad's Naz village. With the help of USHA Silai machines, 100 specially abled women will be trained. Ghanshyam Sharma, CFO, Aavas Foundation said,

We want to reach out to more villages with the support of USHA; make women more able and financially independent so that they also help in the growth of the village. With the help of USHA Silai Machine and hundred specially-abled women, we are going to establish hundred Silai Schools in Gujarat. This will make a great impact in the life of these specially-abled women.

After seven days of training, these women will be able to earn and save something for themselves. In addition, they will also be able to teach their newly acquired sewing skills to other women and girls of the village. This is why, in Ahmedabad's Naz village, these are not the 25 women who will be getting empowered but 25 families and their villages that will also become better.

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Nandini Rawal, Executive Director, BPA NGO (Blind People's Association) of USHA, who has worked in Gujarat for 11 years says that she has given wings to the dreams of 755 women in partnership with USHA. She said,

The people from BPA conduct the survey. We have a list of women to choose from, women of working age, between 20 to 40 years old, who want to work and learn some skills. Women who are ready to go away from their homes for the training, and whose family members will give them permission for it. Then we check their financial condition, we assess whose needs are greater. Poverty and disability are closely related. You see more physical disability amongst the poor, and in villages. So, our target was to go to distant and remote village. You will find many training institutes and resources in cities, but the women in distant villages do not get that opportunity.

The process is not just limited to training. Once a relationship has been formed with the women, it stays for life, as does the support they are given. Whenever the women face any difficulty sewing and stitching, a technical team from USHA reaches them within 24 hours to answer all their queries and doubts. Mohan Lal, Regional Manager, North India, USHA said,

The USHA Silai School model is very impactful, and that is why groups like the Aavas Foundation and Financiers are collaborating with them to take this model forward. We have been running this model since 2011. We are still in touch all the women who have been a part of this programme since 2011. We have just introduced a mobile app that can be downloaded onto the women's phones when they come for training. This app teaches them how to solve their problems, if they are stuck at any point. And if they still face an issue, they can use the app to write to us, or record a voice message with their query. The USHA team will help them within 24 hours. The help can be provided online as well as offline.

For 34-year-old Desai Chetna Ben from Singharwa, Gujarat, who is physically challenged and cannot walk by herself since childhood, the support received from Silai School of USHA-Aavas has been life changing. Her family consists of her parents and two brothers, of whom one is married. She did not want to ask her family for money. She has always been fond of doing embroidery, so now that is the solution to her financial problems. She said,

Due to the financial situation at home, we cannot buy everything that we want. Which is why, I wanted to earn money and be financially independent. Along with teaching us stitching, they also taught us how to repair sewing machines. The good thing about it is that I can repair my own machine, and also help others with repair work in order to earn some money. I take care of my own finances, and also help my parents.

Another woman, Thakur Sharmila Ben who is the oldest amongst three sisters and two brothers, has become independent, thanks to the Silai School programme. She had only ever worked at home, or in the fields. The house was running on the wages of her mother, who earned working on the farm, or as labour. Sharmila Ben was not in a position to help much. Now, because of USHA's training, she can be an equal contributor to her family, which has been financially struggling. She said,

It is a seven day stitching course, free of cost. Food and accomodation is also free. The family is also happy, and we will be able to earn some money and support ourselves.

Now everyone has the skills to change their life situation, and also the machine to run an USHA Silai School in their villages. The machines are on their way to their different destinations, to help weave the dreams that brought these women to the USHA Aavas Silai School.

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