Through Silai School, USHA And Rourkela Steel Plant Are Providing Skill Development To Women In Odisha

The USHA Silai Schools have shown what collaborative power can do for the lives of women in the remotest parts of the country. Their collaborations with NGO ground partners, corporate entities, and the government have helped train thousands of women, and make them self-sufficient. One such collaboration comes from Odisha, and is with the Rourkela Steel Plant to teach sewing to economically backward tribal women through the NGO Gram Utthan. The Rourkela Steel Plant has so far helped more than 100 women from 40 different villages become self-sufficient.

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Currently, the organisation is focusing on the women who live in the four block villages that are located within a 45–50 km radius of the plant. Rourkela Steel Plant GM (CSR), Munmun Mitra said,

Rourkela Steel Plant's CSR department is our direct impact zone. The CSR initiatives and interventions are carried out by us in the affected areas. Upskilling rural women and giving them sustainable employment opportunities is what we do. We have been associated with USHA for the past three years. It is continuing, and the output has been good. Last year, an USHA programme was conducted in association with Gram Utthan. There were 40 women, and it had two batches of 20 women each.

Earlier, tuition was the only source of income for Meena Mochi, an USHA Silai school trainee. But now USHA and the Rourkela Steel Plant have helped her with a new dream, which is about to come true. Like Ms. Mochi, USHA has improved the lives of several rural women who are confined to their homes.

I am a housewife. I stay at home to care for my children.When Vijay sir from USHA came to our village, he told us that women can work for themselves while also contributing to household chores.So, a Silai training was conducted in sector 20 with the help of USHA, Gram Utthan, and the steel plant. After the training, I got a sewing machine and I began working at home.  I used to sew, and many people learned that I did it.People started coming in. Additionally, they receive training. I teach them stitching. This way I am able to generate an income, Meena said. 

Gram-Utthan has played a significant role in connecting these tribal women with Usha's training program. For the last 31 years, USHA has been working continuously at the grassroots level for the upliftment of these women.  Gram Utthan Secretary, Govind Das, said, 

Gram Utthan was established in the year 1990. Gram Utthan has already completed 31 years. We associated with USHA in 2013, and we are the only NGO partner of USHA in Odisha. I observed that a lot has improved in the last 6 months. In the meantime, we worked with the Rourkela Steel plant. In about 24 districts, we collaborated with many different organisations. We covered 1200 people with USHA.

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Lalita Nayak, an USHA Silai school trainee, who comes from an Adivasi community, lost her husband in 2017, when she was just 30. Since then, she has taken care of all the household responsibilities and expenses. She faced many problems earning a living, but she was determined and did not lose hope despite years of struggle. But now the USHA and Rourkela Steel Plant partnership has made Ms. Nayak's journey easier and given her a fresh outlook on life that will help her move forward. 

Ms. Mochi has a 12 year old daughter, who stays in the hostel. She is not only teaching her, but she manages the household expenses too. On the other hand, Ms. Nayak is not only changing her life for the better, but she is also providing handholding and support to six other poor families as she teaches sewing to the women of those houses. Speaking of the change that the partnership has brought in her life, Ms. Nayak said, 

My life has changed because of RSP, USHA, and Gram Utthan. We hardly knew anything, but they helped us. I was given a free machine. We were given training for 15 days. I have taught other women as well. Earlier, I didn't have a source of income. I earned around Rs. 1000–1200, which was a small amount. Now, because of the steel plant, Gram Utthan, and USHA, my income has doubled. It is this income that has allowed me to pay my bills.

USHA is continuously working to improve the social and economic status of women. And it is evident how training has proved to be beneficial for them, as their conditions are changing and their lives are taking a new turn. Odisha Project Manager , Bijya Nanda Dash, said

We trained 40 tribal women in the Sundargarh district. 15 days of training were spent on stitching, life skills, and the high-quality design of the garments. Those 40 women are now teaching other women at their homes. Their income has grown over time. Many women who previously had no source of income are employed now, and their socio-economic life has improved. Earlier, tribal women did nothing, but today they have become entrepreneurs and are making good money.

USHA Social Services Vice President, Mary Rupa Tete, said that the government partnership with the organisation is proving to be very significant in terms of their impact and reach in the lives of rural women. 

The 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 every state and union territory of India, has a robust MIS system that reports data for regular review and monitoring. We have 75 NGO partners who are very credible and dedicated to this work. Besides, we provide customised content that is available in 12 regional languages and master trainers who can take training in various regional languages as well.

USHA has been joining hands with like minded partners as well as individuals to bring the benefits to as many women beneficiaries as possible. We showed you how partnerships work in collaboration with corporations, and we highlighted the different kinds of partnerships with government and government entities. More government entities can collaborate with USHA to promote skill development and entrepreneurship, where USHA can bring excellence in women's skills.Such partnerships can also help generate mass skill building institutions.

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