SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) under its flagship initiative Mission Swavalamban, has partnered with USHA for promoting entrepreneurship among rural women. The collaboration is venturing out for setting up 2,450 USHA Swavalamban Silai Schools which will be done in three phases across various villages of India. The objective of Mission Swavalamban is to shift the focus from job-seekers to job-creators.

In India, the tribal population is more than 10 crore and is larger than that of any other country in the world. However, despite the protection given to the tribal population, it remains the most marginalised group in the country, on the three most important indicators of development- health, education and income. With an aim to improve the status of the marignalised tribal communities, the USHA Silai School Progamme launched the 'Tribal Exclusive Usha Silai School Project'. The objective of the initiative is to support tribal women, by helping them earn a better income.

The USHA Silai School program is playing a critical role in restoring and promoting traditional art and crafts. The Silai heroes have been using their skill and creativity to preserve indigenous art and also to increase their earnings through the fusion of traditional art with modern skills. Here is how three Silai Heroes from Gujarat, Bihar and Manipur are doing their bit in not only preserving indigenous art but also earn a livelihood and helping other women also in becoming financially independent.

The USHA Silai Training and Production Centres are central facility created especially for rural women to assemble, get trained in sewing and stitching and also make products for the market. The Bhagwan Singh Memorial Foundation in Punjab, SANKALP NGO in Odisha and Galaxy enterprise in Meghalaya are three such centres that are empowering the rural women and making a difference.

The COVID-19 crisis has brought a change in way people, the global economy, business, and even social activities run. When physical movement and gatherings were restricted, it was the virtual world that people turned to. Companies accelerated digitization, and moved all their operations online, as it was the only way to save drowning economies. It was the need of the hour. And it was no different for the women of the USHA Silai Schools.

When COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown led to the loss of jobs and financial crisis in many homes, USHA, skilled women in mask making which not only supported their families, making them sole bread winners, but also opened income opportunities for their learners as well. Teaching women about mask making during the pandemic not only benefitted the women to create items to protect themselves from coronavirus and their families but also it generated some income for them and their students during the crisis. Gouri Das, Kalawati Sharma and Jayashree Janardhan Ghodvinde are three of the eight lakh women who worked non-stop during the coronavirus outbreak, sustaining not only themselves, but other Silai School students and teachers as well.

USHA Silai Schools women eventually emerge as change catalysts, willing to make a difference and act against the prevailing social issues. They work as social activists and contribute towards the betterment of the community at large. Here is how three such women are making a difference by empowering others after empowering themselves.

With an aim to help the women from low-income families overcome their struggles, USHA Silai School partnered with NEEPCO (North Eastern Electric Power Corporation) - a power generation company in the North-Eastern region of the country, Dalmia Bharat Foundation- a not-for-profit organization under Dalmia Bharat Group and Alfa Laval- a Swedish Company found in 1883.

In 2011, USHA Silai School began with the aim of empowering rural women to become entrepreneurs and give sewing lessons in their respective communities. But over the years, the Silai School initiative has evolved and today it is not only limited to giving sewing lessons and a silai machine to women to open their own silai school, but also works towards contributing its bit in the conservation of the environment by promoting sustainability. In this season of Kushalta Ke Kadam, the USHA Silai School initiative joined hands with organisations in Ladakh and Maharashtra that work towards protecting environment and supporting local people.

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.