It's rightly said that “Necessity is the mother of invention”. For the last 11 years, the USHA Silai School Programme has been working in some of India's remotest and rural corners, teaching women to stitch and sew. So far, most of the training on the field has been conducted by 20 USHA Silai School trainers. However, with an increase in the number of Silai Schools across the country, a need for more trainers to deliver quality training was realised and this led to the concept of Master Trainers, which has now been in practice for a few years.
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Village level Master Trainers are selected from the group of Silai school teachers. Being a part of the community, the Master Trainers are best placed to provide training in the local language and connect with their trainees. Explaining the concept of Master Trainers, Mary Rupa Tete, Vice President, USHA Social Services said,
Master trainers are the ones who have shown excellent sewing competency and are more mobile and willing to travel and are also willing to help more women in other villages to learn how to stitch and sew.
The initiative not only provides an additional source of income to Silai heroes but also creates a pool of regional sewing trainers and makes Master Trainers role models in their communities. With over eight lakh Silai heroes, choosing who will become a Master Trainer is eventually decided by a selection process involving the following three aspects:
1. Technical competencies like measurement skills, drafting, cutting and paper pattern making skills, and sewing machine and related skills;
2. Behavioral competencies like listening skills, ability to handle questions and learners and time management and discipline among others;
3. An interview with the USHA Silai School team.
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The rigorous selection process brought together 13 Silai heroes from the remotest corners of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. They underwent a nine-day training programme under the guidance of Anamika at the Punjab Mata Vidyawati Memorial Trust in Nawanshahr, Punjab. Taking us through the training process, C R Gautam, President, Punjab Mata Vidyawati Memorial Trust said,
In the classical Silai School training, two-day training is provided on machine repairing, assembling and troubleshooting. For the next seven days, women are taught sewing, stitching and embroidery. There are also sessions on life skills. But in training the Master Trainers, we move one step further, with those women who show the capability, potential, and qualities in our assessment. Here they are taught advanced level skills, like making wedding gowns and bringing a finish in their work.
Ranjana Devi, Nasreen, Anudeep Rani and Shabnam Khatoon are not just names; they are some of the Silai heroes from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana who stepped out of their nests to expand their skill set and get Master training. Anudeep Rani, Master Trainer from Haryana plans to travel to other states and impart training to fellow women.
It isn't just sewing and stitching, USHA is also providing life skills essential to make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, develop better communication skills, and build healthy relationships with the customers and learners. Talking about the same, Ajai Kumar, Senior Manager, USHA Social Services, said,
Our main focus is on life skill sessions. When you are going for a training session for Master Trainers, what are the points that you need to keep in mind, how you manage conflict, what leadership skills should you have, and how to communicate. We have conducted life skill sessions through many games and events.
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Following master training, Silai heroes are provided a certificate of achievement by the President of Punjab Mata Vidhyawati Memorial and deputed at all the USHA Silai School training programs to teach in classical and satellite schools. Gleaming with hope, Nasreen, Master Trainer from Himachal Pradesh said,
I want to remain associated with the company, and travel to different states and areas to train and bring awareness among women.
The journey of Silai heroes doesn't end here; some go on to become agents of social change in the form of nodal resource persons like 33-year-old Leela Devi, from Champansar in Jodhpur District's Phalodi area. In western Rajasthan, NGO Sahaj Sansthan has partnered with USHA where Silai heroes like Leela not only train women to stitch and sew but also educate them about their rights and assist in getting benefits of various government schemes.
Leela Devi spends three hours of her day at a Silai school, teaching her students. Following this, she does her own sewing and stitching work and earns Rs. 7,000-Rs. 8,000 per month. Trained in farming, Ms Devi also educates people about traditional farming and parallelly supports women groups.
I am looking after 15 villages. With the aid of the head of the village, I have helped widows and senior citizens get their pension benefits. I have submitted an application, to the village head, for a plan of water tanks which, once implemented, will help poor villagers, said Ms Devi.
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Leela Devi, a mother of two, was married off at an early age but that did not deter her. She joined the Silai school program and went a step further to become a role model for other rural women like herself and young girls. Meghna Choudhary, Leela's Student from Rajasthan said,
More women have gained awareness and feel that since Leela didi is learning to stitch, and is attached to Sahaj Sansthan, they should also join the organisation and learn sewing and stitching. We guide the girls about their menstrual cycle, education and their rights like legal marriageable age.
NGO Sahaj Sansthan is running 300 Silai schools in five districts of western Rajasthan. The leadership program combines skill development with social change and is the key to the USHA Silai school partnership with NGOs across the country. Talking more about the programme, Babu Ram Bishnoi, Chairman, NGO Partner, Sahaj Sansthan said,
In addition to employment, we try and help women through various programmes like MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), USHA Silai School programs and water tank program. During COVID times, we arranged vaccination for people in remote areas.
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