By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Resource Mobilization
Kelwa is a peri-urban area some 70 km from Udaipur city in south Rajasthan (India). This is an area where marble is mined and worked, and most of the men have jobs in the industry. The women have little opportunity to work, and need extra income to help make ends meet. Work that they can do at home is particularly welcome so that they can combine it with looking after their children and households.
Seva Mandir has set up women’s Self-Help Groups in the area, and one of the activities being organized is a course in sewing. Sadhna, a social enterprise producing hand-made textile products, provides teachers and materials for the course, which lasts three months.
There are 47 women enrolled on the current course, and average attendance is 35 on any day. The trainer from Sadhna’s headquarters is very pleased with the current batch and thinks that 80% of them will make very good embroiderers.
The women tell us that they really need the work, and they are clearly enjoying sitting together and learning the intricate skills they are being taught. In time, perhaps they will be able to earn as much as skilled seamstresses who can earn up to Rs 6,500 ($100) a month.
“Meena [name changed] has no parents but has been married for some time. She looks no more than 23 or 24 and has two children. She tells us how much she always wanted to study but that she was never able to go to school. She bursts into tears as her disappointment surfaces, and she realizes she will never now get the education she so desperately wanted. She stitches away determinedly, clinging to this chance of a little independence.”
Despite the difficulties that many of these women face, they are cheerful as they sit here together and seem filled with hope that this new skill will help them improve their lives.
Without your support none of this would be possible, so a heartfelt thank you goes out to you for supporting our efforts in empowering women. The empowerment and autonomy of women are essential for the achievement of sustainable development.
Thank you once again. We hope to receive your continued support.
Warm wishes,
Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team
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