The USHA Silai School program aims to empower women by helping them develop skills and by providing them with job opportunities. This year, the initiative formed new collaborations with autonomous government bodies like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Rajasthan and Punjab and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in Himachal Pradesh. The partnerships, which are focused on helping women in rural areas become financially independent, is setting-up new Silai Schools and sewing-based enterprises at the village level in these three states.
In the district of Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, USHA along with SIDBI has set-up Silai Schools under its flagship initiative Mission Swavalambhan which aims to set-up silai schools in calamity prone districts and backward areas. While the initiative is being implemented in collaboration with a local NGO (Non-Government Organisation) Aadhar Sansthan in the district, schools are receiving participation from across the state.
One of the women receiving training at Silai School is Babli who was introduced to the training programme by the village-head. While she already had some basic knowledge of stitching, USHA Silai School has helped her learn various advanced techniques and has given her the confidence to follow her passion and convert it into her source of livelihood. She said to NDTV,
I live here with my 4-year-old son and my husband's family. Before coming to Silai School, I was able to stitch suits but crafting was not so good. I learnt that here and many more new things. I am learning a lot here and will pass on the same knowledge to other girls and women in my village. I am glad that this programme is preparing me to earn and provide a better life to my family.
This training programme has come as a lifeline for those who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. It has provided families with a source of income at a time when they were facing extreme financial crisis.
Another trainee at the Silai School, Sushma shared that they also received a course in machine repairing which has prepared them to take care of wear and tear of their sewing machines which will help them save money in the long run. Beena Devi, a trainee who has now graduated to be a special trainer said,
I want to thank SIDBI and USHA for guiding us, for running this training centre. Earlier, we used to do the stitching as per our understanding but after getting this training we do the same thing in a better way.
While the ‘mission swavalambhan' has a long way to go to reach its destination, the USHA Silai school program is also taking care of the families of those who are guarding the country day and night. USHA has partnered with the family welfare association of CRPF to train 75 women on sewing and stitching. It will also establish five training cum production centres- one each in Bhopal, Ajmer, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Jalandhar. The initiative was started by setting up USHA Silai Schools in the CRPF Camp in Ajmer and Jalandhar. While the husbands are away from home and protecting the country, the wives and families are trying to stay strong. This program aims to help them to divert their minds from the worry and get some skills instead.
Explaining about the initiative, Commandant Bharat Kumar said to NDTV,
In every CRPF group centre, we have Parivaar Kendriya (family centres). The jawans' families are staying inside the group centre while the jawans live outside and so for the families, Parivaar Kendriya has been established. We got a proposal from USHA. They wanted to give 15 days of training to the women in stitching. Out of 40 women, 15 were selected for this training. The motive behind this initiative is ‘swarojgar'(self-employment). They can earn and can maintain their houses and can provide training to the rest of the women. Many women who stay in this camp have their husbands posted in other states and districts and a training session with USHA helps them in improving their skills making them self-reliant.
Like the CRPF camp in Ajmer, the initiative has been receiving a warm response at the CRPF camp in Jalandhar as well. Navneet, wife of an officer at CRPF, Jalandhar said,
My husband is Deputy Inspector General (DIG) over here and I am head of the welfare association. Being a welfare association head, we ensure that we keep conducting various kinds of activities for the women and families of the jawans. In the line of this, we have collaborated with USHA to provide training to our women and girls here. There are about 3,000 families living.
She further said that the aim of the initiative is not only to help them keep themselves engaged, but also to help them develop skills and become financially independent. She added that with trainings as extensive as the one provided by USHA Silai School initiative, women will get empowered and motivated to open their own businesses.
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