Determined to uplift their economic condition and make a better future for themselves, the survivors of rape and trafficking in a district of Madhya Pradesh are fighting the stigma with the help of USHA Silai School. The Silai School initiative is not only helping them develop skills but is also encouraging them to becoming a symbol of hope and courage for others.

Under its Silai School initiative, USHA International Limited has been working towards empowering women from rural India and encouraging them to become entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities. In order to widen its efforts further, USHA has partnered with Public Sector Undertakings like Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) in Jharkhand and National Building Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC) in Odisha.

In the current season of Kushal Ke Kadam, USHA Silai School has collaborated with educational institutions like the University of Kashmir and Punjab University to help girls and women fulfil their dreams through skill development. The aim of the partnership is to equip girls and women with various techniques of stitching. Through this initiative, women are not only taking charge of their destiny but are also helping others become financially independent.

As USHA Silai School programme continues to create new opportunities for women in rural areas through skill development, it collaborated 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. Not only are the collaborations setting up new Silai Schools in these states, but these are also helping women set up sewing based enterprises at the village level.

Since its inception in 2011, USHA Silai School has been empowering women in the rural areas across the county by equipping them with the skill of stitching. This year, USHA International Limited strengthened its partnership with the state governments of Meghalaya and West Bengal with an aim to reach out to thousands of women and help them improve their lives.

The aim of USHA Silai School has always been to empower the vulnerable and provide them with a better source of livelihood. Keeping up with its motive, here is how the initiative has changed the life of 36-year-old Preeti Khushwaha, a resident of Mustafabad village of Bangarmau block in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. After training from the Silai school, not only did Preeti build a better life for herself and her family, but also helped over 1,500 women in and around her village to learn stitching and become financially independent.

With 23,265 USHA Silai Schools present in 12,858 villages across all states and Union Territories in the country, more than 6.7 lakh women have been able to enhance their skills. They have become empowered and financially independent. Here is how the initiative is helping those in need, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of USHA Silai School has always been to empower both men and women and provide them a better source of livelihood. Keeping up with their motive, in Meghalaya, USHA Silai School trained women to make cloth bags, an alternative to single-use plastic bags, which have been banned by the state government. Along with this, USHA partnered with the Blind Relief Association in Delhi to provide sewing training to visually impaired students.

Eight years ago USHA Silai School set on a journey to make women from marginalised communities self-sufficient. Over the years, the program has received support in various forms from people across the country. With the increasing public and private partnership, USHA has only grown and reached to different parts of the country. The partnerships have taken USHA to villages of Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

To enhance the skills of women, USHA has been working with thousands of women across the country. But unlike in other places, the training in the north and northeastern states go beyond stitching. As part of the USHA Silai School Program, the women in these states get mechanical training wherein they learn to repair sewing machines which is usually considered as a man's job. As the women of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Manipur get mechanical training, an additional skill set that is helping them earn additional income by putting their knowledge to use, we bring to you some of the success stories.

In 2012, USHA launched first Silai School in West Bengal, India's fourth-most populous state and by 2017 the program's success caught the attention of the West Bengal Scheduled Caste And Tribe Development Finance Corporation, which led to the life-changing initiative for thousands of women.

With 17,000 Silai Schools, Usha Silai School program has upskilled and empowered over 3 lakh women across 9,000 villages of India. Now, the program has reached remotest islands and villages of India. Here is a story of four empowered women from Sundarbans, Lakshadweep, and Andaman, driven by the ambition to change their lives and find their purpose enriched.

Since 2012, USHA has established 206 Silai Schools in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, each of which is helping change the lives of women. Considering the immense talent in Kashmir, in 2018, USHA Silai Label set up a garment design and production cluster in Srinagar. The Kashmir cluster has been a game changer for the women of the valley. Today, the women have reached the city of dreams, Mumbai, to showcase their work and walk the ramp of Lakme Fashion Week 2019.

It's the verdict time! Fighting all odds, women from Kashmir cluster have prepared samples for ace designer Rohit Bal. With the samples now in the designer's studio, it is the judgment time. Rohit Bal will be giving feedback on samples. Will the creators of the garment clear Rohit Bal's test to take centre stage at the Lakme Fashion week 2019?

The charm of Kashmir's picturesque lakes, snow-capped mountains, and lush forests is matched by the richness of its cultural heritage. From handicrafts to the exquisite pashminas, the valley boasts a rich history of arts and crafts passed on through generations and yet the state and its craftsmen are yet to realise their full potential. In an attempt to tap into this immense pool of talent, in the year 2018, the USHA Silai Label set up a garment design and production cluster in Kashmir.

Within 7 years, with 17,000 schools, spanning over 9000 Indian villages, the USHA Silai School has trained over 3.5 lakh rural women. In 2018, the garments made by the women from these schools, under the guidance of four designers were showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week. Since then their life has been transformed with the clothes now selling under the Silai Label at multi-brand outlet in Delhi.

2006 Noida serial murders shook the entire country, especially the men and women of Nithatri, who fear stepping out of their houses putting their lives on a perpetual pause. But USHA Silai School came as a ray of hope and provided them with a safe source of living.

West Bengal, India's fourth most populous state, is home to 91 million people, a fifth of which are poor. While people there were trying to make ends meet, USHA Silai School came in as a ray of hope for the underprivileged men and women in the eastern state of India.

With an aim to empower women, USHA Silai School makes effort to widen its reach and expand to every corner of India. With this thought as its driving force, the USHA Silai School programme has opened up an opportunity for women in Nagaland by starting a showroom cum sales center in Dimapur.

Along with reviving the traditional craft and providing employment opportunities to the underprivileged women all over India, USHA Silai School programme is providing sewing training to underprivileged men also. The latest extensions aim to help rural households in India improve their earnings.

Eight selected USHA Silai School women entrepreneurs got a chance to learn and work under the guidance of different designers. Designers Soham Dave, Sayantan Sarkar, Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav, and Sreejith Jeevan along with USHA Silai School women curated a collection for Lakme Fashion Week 2018.

In 2015, the government of Andhra Pradesh partnered with Berkeley University to launch the ‘Smart Villages Mission' and the sleepy village of Mori emerged as Andhra Pradesh's first smart village. Later, government partnered with corporations like USHA International to create employment opportunities in the villages and curb migration.

Santosh Kumwat and Sunita Devi Kumawat from Jaipur are two of the eight selected USHA Silai School women entrepreneurs, who got a chance to learn and work under the guidance of designers - Amit Trivedi and Richard Pandav to launch a clothing line at the Lakme Fashion Week 2018.

Some of the Usha Silai School women, chosen from four regions of the country, went through an assessment. Then a select few got to work on the production of a clothing line, under their fashion designer mentors. These women were then flown to Mumbai to display their collection at the trendiest event on the year - the Lakme Fashion Week.