In India, a large number of rural women and girls are illiterate or semiliterate, economically disadvantaged, and rely on their male family members for basic needs. Sewing and embroidery are two skills that help women balance their roles as homemakers and wage-earners.
Women were disproportionately affected by unemployment and poverty during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are often forced to rely on men (many who mistreat and abuse them) for everything because they lack a source of income. The situation worsens if the men are also unemployed. Women’s empowerment can be achieved through self-reliance and financial independence, which can be achieved through vocational training that allows women to start their own business or take up a job.
In rural north India, we currently have five sewing centers that serve the marginalized. We have a hundred and forty five students enrolled in training from Nov 21 – April 22. As they completed the 6-month course, we awarded them certificates and staring from May 2022, we will be accepting new students. We are assisting the graduates in starting their own small business by linking them with schools for uniform sewing work and assisting them in establishing their own firms.
