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USHA Silai School Helping Nithari Village Put Its Dark Past To Rest
Delhi:
Located in Noida, the western part of Uttar Pradesh, is a village named Nithari which has been living in the shadows of Noida serial murders since 2006. The horrific crime and its sensational revelation shook the entire country and filled the men and women of the village with a constant fear of stepping out of their houses.
"Children were lost during the Nithari murders" said Manisha, a resident of the village. The agony of the past haunts the present, as Manisha gathers her thoughts to talk about the killings that left more than 19 children dead in the house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, where he lived with his servant and accomplice in the crime.
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"Mothers feared for their children following the disappearances" she said. "They hesitate, till date, in letting their children go out the house or even attend school."
After the case was solved, the women remained in the confines of their homes keeping their children with them at all times, said another resident named Radha.
Similar feelings were echoed by many residents and changing their mindset proved to be a tougher challenge than earlier imagined. Many organisations came forward to help women start a livelihood in the confines of a safe environment, especially for their children. One of such organisation was USHA International.
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USHA International's programme - the USHA Silai School that has been helping underprivileged women all over the country and even internationally to build a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their families, came to Nithari as a light at the end of the tunnel.
The area of Nithari is that of migrant laborers and in most houses women are required to step out of the house and hold low-grade jobs to sustain their family said Padmani Kumar, assistant director of the Joint Women's Programme (JWP) organisation.
The organisation has been working towards empowering women of similar villages where opportunities are less and trust among people is very low.
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We thought if we could provide protection to these women in their work atmospheres or learning centers and also set up creches for their children, then they could be taught valuable skills for their betterment said Jyotsna Chatterjee, director, JWP.
Teaching new skills might not have been an option in the village had there not been enough resources to establish a safe ecosystem.
USHA International came in to help when we needed it the most, she said. They helped in setting up silai centers and providing the resources needed to begin sewing classes.
"I didn't want to work in someone's house" said Sheela, a Nithari resident. "It was my dream to study and have a respectable job." Her dream became a reality when she enrolled herself for the USHA Silai School programme.
Today, Sheela earns nearly Rs. 6000 per month from conducting sewing classes, a skill she learnt at the learning centers with equipment provided by Usha Silai School at the completion of the programme.
I received a lot of guidance from JWP and USHA (International), she said gratefully.
Sheela has been working with JWP for the past decade and has been not only teaching sewing, but is also helping out at the creche in order to give back to the society and help more women like her get free from the shackles of daily wage laborers.
The main thing is to empower women, said Krishna Sriram, executive director, USHA International. We believe if a women is trained well and is earning then she is more than capable of evolving her life and sustaining her family.
His words are a true reflection of the progress seen at every place where USHA Silai School has touched lives of the underpriviledged.
The training being provided at Nithari is helping the village to rise out of the shadows of its dark past. The school has emerged as a ray of hope that is empowering families to rebuild their lives.
Also Read: Silai School Initiative Takes Its Mission Of Changing Lives To West Bengal
Published: June 12, 2018 10:37 IST
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Do you want to be a part of the huge change that Usha Silai School is bringing about in the lives of millions of rural women? With just a simple click of a button, you can now contribute towards the opening of an Usha Silai School or support various other aspects of the school.
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by USHA Silai School and NDTV has entered its eighth season. The aim is to empower more women across rural India by teaching them sewing skills and helping them open new doors of opportunities for themselves. The initiative encourages rural women to become financially independent and entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities.
Since 2011, the USHA Silai School initiative has trained more than 12 lakh rural women through over 33,000 Silai schools, spanning over 20,751 villages across India.
The women earn Rs. 4,000 – 5,000 per month on an average, with the highest recorded monthly earning being Rs. 84,000 in a month. This earning works as a catalyst towards building their self-confidence, reducing gender inequities, and raising their stature within their families and in society at large.
Kushalta ke Kadam: Aiming for Independence Through Stitching
Rebari girls grow up learning traditional embroidery, which along with their new found sewing skills developed at Usha Silai Schools, is helping them earn a living.
Usha Silai School has empowered many rural women to support their family and send their children to school.
The Usha Silai School, established in a small nondescript village that goes by the name of Kottai, is helping empower people from varied communities.
The all-inclusive Usha Silai School Programme covers the entire nation from hamlets tucked between hills to villages cast by the sea.
Vegetables farmers from the Mizoram hills earn very little given the topography of the area. Usha Silai Schools have played an important part in this region by skilling women to financially contribute towards their households.
Usha Silai School learner Lucy has trained seven other women in her community, helping them to become financially independent.
Women like Kaviben from the nomadic Rebari community are finally laying down their roots as they begin to gain financial independence and thereby stability through Usha Silai School.
Usha Silai School, located in the Gujarat's Bhuj village, is enabling rural women to earn as much as Rs. 2,500-4,000 each month.
Usha Silai School, in association with a Gujarat based NGO called Kala Raksha, is trying to bring about a Silai revolution in Bhuj.
Besides training other women from their community, many Usha Silai School learners have become entrepreneurs in their own right.
With sewing becoming easily accessible and lucrative, the silai schools are also helping revive traditional motifs and designs.
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