“I tell all the women that sewing is a good way to earn both a livelihood and people's respect,” says Suchismita Sahoo, a mother of two young college-going boys, from Odisha. Suchismita has studied up to the intermediate level, but couldn't continue any further as she got married at the very young age of 20. Though Suchismita and her family faced several challenging circumstances, it never dampened her spirit. She got in touch with the Gram-Utthan NGO where she was informed about the Usha Silai School which “changed her identity.”
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For 12 years, the Usha Silai School programme has been teaching women across India how to be self-reliant and independent. With the livelihood skills taught by the programme, more than 12 lakh women, from around 33,000 villages across the country, have learned how to fight prejudices, run businesses, earn and look after their own money, how to take care of their families' needs, how to be productive and participatory, and how to realise their potential. It was this potential that helped them fight their circumstances and become a role model for other women in their community. These are the super-achievers of Usha Silai School.
The word Swavalamban means self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and independence. And that is exactly what Mission Swavalamban aims to do - pull families out of poverty and create economic self-reliance by boosting livelihoods and fostering self-employment. Mission Swavalamban is the flagship initiative of the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and it has joined hands with the USHA Silai School program in its journey of promoting entrepreneurship for rural women.
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The collaboration has given birth to the Usha Swavalamban Silai Schools, of which 3,000 have already opened across various villages in India. Five training-cum-production centers were also established. This year, an additional 1,000 Usha Swavalamban Silai Schools are being established.
Suchismita Sahoo is one of the super achievers of Usha Silai School, and a role model for her students for all the work she has done to make the women of Mirajpur village in Odisha financially independent. She wears multiple hats including that of a Swavalamban Silai School teacher, a master trainer, a local resource person and a self-help group (SHG) member.
When Usha, in partnership with SIDBI, organised a training programme in the Kendrapara district, Suchismita was one of the 25 women who had come from the Tihidi district of Bhadrak block.
Talking about expanding the reach of her training by further imparting the lessons she learned, Suchismita Sahoo, Super Achiever, Usha Silai School, Bhadrak, Odisha said,
After being trained by Usha, I have trained 57 people in my block alone. I went for further training to Balasore where I was trained on industrial machines after which I got a master trainer certificate from ORMAS. I trained 20 girls in Balasore and made them self-reliant.
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After receiving training from Usha in partnership with SIDBI, Suchismita established Swavalamban Silai School at her house. Being an active member of her village's Self-Help Group, she began enrolling students and undertaking sewing projects. She said,
I always tell everyone that rather than leaving your home in search of a job, it is better to earn a livelihood with dignity through sewing.
It wasn't all smooth sailing. Suchismita did have some initial trouble in getting students for the Silai School. However, over time, she gained popularity in the village and now her silai school helps her contribute to the household expenses.
Earlier I used to earn Rs. 300 to Rs. 500 at home whereas now I earn up to Rs. 8,000 – Rs. 10,000 in a month.
Additionally, she has received training from Usha to become a Local Resource Person and has been assigned to Usha-SIDBI Swavalamban Silai Schools in 25 blocks. As a local resource person, she actively supports 25 women in her block in getting orders, sharing information about government schemes, bringing them together on social discrimination and resolving other family and community-related issues.
Furthermore, she has played a crucial role in establishing the training-cum-production center in Tihidi, Bhadrak, with support from Mission Shakti, an initiative by the Government of Odisha.
Suchismita has not restricted the benefits to herself but is actively supporting Usha at the grassroots levels by establishing various Training-cum-Production Centers and working committedly as an exemplary local resource person.
Bijayananda Dash, Programme Coordinator, Odisha, Usha International Limited said, These women are an inspiration for other women to also move ahead in their lives. The Training-cum-Production Centers established in their blocks, and the achievements of the Usha trainers inspire other women. They approach us to open their own Usha Silai School.
The training at Usha instilled a new sense of confidence in Suchismita. It opened up many new avenues for her. Suchismita has received multiple certificates from various organisations, acknowledging her exceptional leadership skills, sewing expertise, and involvement in other activities within her community. Thanking Usha for the opportunity and learning, Suchismita said,
Usha is my fortune and my future. My identity has changed with the help of Usha. People have come to know me through Usha. Earlier I was just a regular wife at home but now, I am known not just in my district, but in other districts as well.
Her influence has served as a source of inspiration for numerous young girls and women residing in the neighboring Panchayats.
The Usha Silai School programme has not only skilled women, for them to secure a livelihood, but also instilled the confidence in them to act as changemakers in society – inspiring and mentoring other women in their communities.
The idea is to further empower these women by upscaling their work. Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairman and Managing Director of SIDBI said,
We are trying our best to be able to bring more and more industry closer to the villages. We are working with PanIIT, an organisation of IIT alumni, and they are creating a production facility that could be located close to the villages. They have already set up marketing links with bigger buyers who exist in the industry. Right now these women are doing very small jobs but if we could collectively bring them under a particular factory roof which is not very far from where they live then they will be able to probably do six hours of work in that factory and earn much more.
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