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From Bihar To Nepal: Sangeeta's Journey Of Struggles
Written by Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Sunday July 30, 2017When financial crisis didn't end despite migrating to Nepal from Bihar, Sangeeta Dhawan decided to brush up on her sewing skills and reinvent her life
- Written by Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Monday July 31, 2017
Nagawani and Jermegini had to leave Sri Lanka during the Civil War and years later when they returned, they had to start their lives from scratch. Amidst poverty and lack of economic opportunities, the two women took up tailoring as their careers and stitched their own futures
- Written by Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Friday July 14, 2017
Married off at 15, mother by 16, Gomi Devi's life would have been similar to all other women of the region, silently leading a life, hidden behind the veil
- Written by Samriddhi Dube , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Friday July 07, 2017
Soni lost her 10-year old sister in the infamous Nithari Murder Case, post which she felt lost and helpless for many years. However, she managed to come out of her traumatic past to build a new future
- Written by Samriddhi Dube , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Friday July 07, 2017
After the infamous 2006 Nithari serial murder case, Rubina Begum's family put several restrictions on her in terms of venturing out of home, the confines of home were considered to be the safest for women like Rubina in the village of Nithari, It was in this difficult phase of life that a ray of hope emerged to change the course of her stagnant life
- Written by Gopi Karelia and Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Thursday July 06, 2017
Madhya Pradesh's Kanha Tiger Reserve is one of the most popular national parks attracting many tourists buy at home does not have too many alternative sources of income available. Phuliya Bai and Rekha Rahangdale joined the Usha Silai programme and soon they turned entrepreneurs and started their own training schools to teach stitching to other women.
- Written by Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Friday June 30, 2017
Sewing is a good way for women to move ahead in life. Girls and women can become entrepreneurs even if they only start off by opening a boutique or becoming a tailor: Poonam Verma
- Written by Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Friday June 30, 2017
Lajjawati had to suffer from acute poverty and had to battle with gender biases until she decided to learn stitching and empower herself
- Written by Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Friday June 30, 2017
She took to stitching for extra income to run her household, but it changed her life and life of others in her village.
- Written by Somya Srivastava , Edited by Sonia Bhaskar | Friday June 30, 2017
In a district like Golaghat which has rampant crimes like abduction, rape and slavery, Mumtaz Begum a single mother of three children empowered herself by taking stitching classes
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.