USHA Is Working With Alkem Laboratories To Uplift Rural Women of Himachal Pradesh

In Baddi, an industrial town on the border of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, lies USHA Silai school, located within the premises of Alkem Laboratories, one of India's largest pharmaceutical companies. A group of 20 women comes to learn and practice stitching and sewing in the Silai school. Their bright smiles and happy faces are a testament to the joy they experience when, just like the men, they work and learn and earn their meals, with the confidence that they can take on the world with their skill.

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The industrial town of Baddi boasts of providing several employment opportunities, however, there is a dearth of skilled labour. The USHA Silai School's ambition is to train women on the industrial machines, skill them for large scale production, as well as provide basic and advanced training, so they can take up stitching work, even at home.

USHA Silai school trainer, Rajesh Dabi said,

We have installed industrial machines here. The advantage is that if we train these women on these machines, their speed will increase. And when they complete their training and practice in the next 3-6 months, they will be ready for production.

The USHA trainer shows us the industrial training machines that these 20 women are being trained on. The Silai machine runs over 4,200 stitches in one go and the five thread interlocking machine. With the help of this training, the women have made bags, hoods, shoes and other items needed by the workers to be worn at all times when working in the plant. Preeti Devi, Siya Devi and Neena Devi are young 19-year-old learners at the USHA Silai School in Alkem Laboratories. They want to make the most of their present to move from a bleak past into a brighter future.

USHA Silai school trainee, Siya Devi spoke about her life journey and her experience at the training centre,

We have to take care of household expenses and support our parents, that is why we love this work. It has been very beneficial for us. 15 days of training has taught us a high degree of finesse. I can see it for myself, because our sewing lacked finesse when we started. Whatever I've learned, I'll use it to my advantage.

Another trainee Preeti Devi said,

We leave all our worries at home and work with complete dedication here. It is only if we work with dedication that we will be successful in life.

Silai school trainee Neena Devi said that her family proudly talks about their daughter undertaking the sewing and stitching training.

I will become a tailor after learning. I will also teach those who don't know sewing.

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The training at the USHA Silai school has created not just a camaraderie between the women, but also a greater awareness and understanding of all things sewing and stitching, including some strong opinions on the difference between the typical black coloured USHA sewing machine and the industrial version of it. Speaking about the function of the machines, the trainees said that the black machine is operated by foot. So, using it hurts their feet as well as hands. They also spoke about the manual and the motor-run machines. They said that the stitching came out well in the motor-run machines.

USHA Silai school's partnership with Alkem Laboratories began when the pharmaceutical company approached the organisation with the intention of empowering women in and around Baddi by teaching them skills.

National Operations Head of USHA Social Services, Alok Shukla said,

We are very much confident that we are going to work with alkem foundation for longer period because they are having their manufacturing location across another locations also and it's not that we are focusing on one partnership we are committed to ensure that every women start earning and with this result and impact I am sure alkem foundation will be happy to join hands with usha in another locations as well.

USHA strives for uplifting the socio-economic status of rural women in India by creating entrepreneurship opportunities, through promising partnerships and collaborative efforts. The partnership with Alkem Laboratories in Baddi is one such effort.

Alkem Laboratories Vice President, Ashok Priyadarshi said,

We launched this training program through USHA International in Baddi, and I strongly believe that these women, who are receiving sewing training, will eventually be able to make the aprons that are used in the pharma sector.

One step in the direction of skill development is a giant leap forward for the USHA Silai school learners here in Baddi. A leap that has turned these learners into independent, working women who are self-reliant. It is an independence they are now keen to guard.

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