In Odisha, USHA And NGO Gram Utthan Are Empowering Women By Providing Employment Opportunities

Nearly 2,500 kilometres away from Kargil, in the village of Uparbeda, in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, Salma Hemram starts her day by feeding the cows. Salma lives a few houses away from the paternal house of the President of India, Draupadi Murmu. Tending to the cattle has been Salma's daily routine for the past 12 years, but now with non-governmental organisation Gram Utthan and USHA, new avenues of employment have opened up for her. She is getting trained at the USHA Silai center, along with 15 other women. The training programme takes into account the special needs and customs of tribal women.

Salma Hemram, a Trainee at USHA Silai school said,

The executives from USHA came to my village. I applied for the training in stitching and filled the form and I got selected. I submitted the form but was unsure if I would get selected. I don't know how, but I got selected and I am very happy about my acceptance into the training programme. Currently, I am being trained in stitching here at the centre. This has made me aware of how to get ahead in life. I will also teach these skills to ladies in my village.

The process of reaching out to the women, to include them in the USHA Silai school training programme, was not easy. The NGO Gram Utthan had to prepare a list of the women who might benefit from the training the most, in consultation with the head of the village.

NGO Gram Utthan is working with USHA for the past 11 years in helping ladies from villages move ahead in life and make a meaningful change in their lives. Guru Prasad Mohanty, Program Manager, Gram Utthan said,

We select women based on a little prior knowledge of sewing and their interest in opening a Silai school. Then we go door-to-door to meet these women. We make a shortlist and share it with USHA. Once the list of selected candidates is finalised, we organise the training. Once the trained women open their Silai schools, we monitor their progress regularly in terms of how many women they have taught, and how much money they are earning. This report is shared with USHA.

Usually, only one woman is selected from one village. For this process, USHA meets two to three women, who have shown interest in sewing, at one house. In the meeting, the women are explained how the training will change their lives and will how it will provide them with a better tomorrow. A form is shared seeking basic information and simple answers regarding their interest and knowledge about USHA and sewing. After this assessment, the selected candidates become eligible for this training.

Bijayanand Dash, State Program Manager at USHA Social Services, said,

We planned to organise a training for the tribal women in the Mayurbhanj area. We asked Gram Utthan NGO to help select women and we will train them. We started a training centre in the Kusumi block of Mayurbhanj.

USHA Silai schools have helped lakhs of women carve a niche for themselves and become self-sufficient despite being from the remotest of areas. It is nothing short of a revolution that empowers women through economic opportunities and gives them a sense of self-worth.