Bright sunshine brings warmth on a bone-chilling December morning in Meghalaya. The serpentine roads take us through a forest to a remote village, Songsak in East Garo hills. The morning is also bringing new hope in the lives of these women who have come to an assessment programme, in order to be enrolled at the USHA and Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society, or MSRLS, training-cum-production centre.
With the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board and Forest and Environment Department enforcing plastic waste management rules and the government resultantly encouraging the use of cloth bags, the MSRLS saw this as an opportunity to curb pollution and also create employment. And that is what led to their collaboration with the USHA Silai School for training centres across the state.
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The association was initially started with two demonstration centres but their success led to the opening of 14 new training cum production centres, covering nine districts of Meghalaya.
Talking to NDTV about the expansion of the project, Shanlang Lyngdoh, COO of Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society said,
We found that the women are very enthusiastic to learn the skills and the knowledge that they have gained through these centres by master trainers deputed by USHA. It seemed that there is a very good outcome as the women who have passed out from these centres have started their own units. We hope that with this initiative we will be able to remove poverty in rural areas especially, those areas which are semi-urban. This would be an opportunity for them that they learn the skills and start livelihood activities through tailoring.
This assessment programme is being organised in the East Garo hills, a tribal area with no prior sewing centres. These women are here to learn a skill they have very limited knowledge about.
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Giving out details of the assessment programme, Sadhna Sharma, Deputy Department Manager (North East), USHA said,
For the assessment programme, we contact the government officials, they call the ladies in their block. Once they come, we give them a question paper with basic questions about measurements, and what other things will be required for drafting. It's to get an idea of how much they know about sewing. Secondly, we ask them to stitch.
The women are busy writing their answers; some are facing difficulties as they can't read or write. Some don't know the basics of sewing but are eager to learn, while some know the basics but can't sew in a straight line. The one thing all these women have in common is a fierce desire for financial independence.
In another part of Meghalaya, Mairang, a new training cum production centre has been inaugurated where women are learning the basics of sewing. Being a tribal area, language could be a barrier. But these women won't let that come between them and their dreams. The master trainer Rumpi is teaching the women how to measure and cut the cloth. The first goal of this training is to teach women how to sew in a straight line.
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Rumpi Hendi, Silai School Teacher, USHA said,
Some of them have little knowledge while others don't know much. But by the time the training is over, they will learn a lot. And they will gain self-confidence that they can do this.
The women are given a piece of cloth with chalk markings. It is only with practice that they will perfect the skill of sewing in a straight line. And so the practical training begins with the women taking to their machines.
Rumpi goes around the room giving everyone feedback and helping them sew straight.
Some of these women and girls are from the Khasi tribe. They have had very limited exposure to the outside world. They believe sewing will give them that exposure and identity.
Banri Rimpeit, Trainee, USHA Silai School said,
I hope this training will help me a lot in doing a good job.
Once the women complete their training, they will be making cloth bags and contributing to the environment in their own small way. The partnership between USHA and MSRLS is working towards a mutual goal of community building by helping uplift a key section of it.
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Talking about the positive impact of the training on women, Ram Krishna, CEO of Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society said,
The direct impact which we can see on the lives of the women is that their income has increased. The increase in their disposable incomes increases the overall well-being of not just women but their families. When it comes to the environment, because of the encouragement that we give to not only stitching of clothes but also cotton bags which are very helpful in replacing plastic bags.
Adding to this, Mary Rupa Tete, Vice-President of USHA Social Services said,
Government partnerships with the USHA Silai School programme are proving to be very significant in terms of their impact and reach in the lives of rural women. Government agencies that have been wanting to work with rural women on skill development and entrepreneurship development find a ready platform in the USHA Silai School programme. The programme has a presence in all states and Union Territories of India and has a robust MIS system which reports data for regular view and monitoring. We have 75 NGO partners who are very credible and dedicated to this work. We also provide customised content in 10 regional languages and also master trainers who can do training in various regional languages.
Learn to earn is the message USHA is sending through these Silai centres, and these women are not only being trained in skill but are on the path to becoming providers in society.
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