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Sisters-in-arms: Woman sets up bag unit, offers livelihood to others
For years, Anitha’s life revolved around her kitchen and family until she took up sewing with the help of an NGO. Now, the 32-year-old has founded a self-help group in Periyakalakattur Village in Tiruvallur district, earns a modest amount of money and supports her family financially.
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Chennai
When Anitha heard that a trust ‘Hand in Hand India’ was training women to stitch as a part of its flagship projects, she joined the Sewing Machine Operator course for women within the village and then decided to form a self-help group.
She also gathered the support of five other women in the village to start a sewing unit at her home and together they started sewing cloth bags.
“I was trained for 48 days on how to use a sewing machine. I learned how to stitch using both pedal and power machine and then I encouraged my friends in the village to work in my unit. With the support of the NGO, we started a cloth sewing unit called Shri Bags,” Anitha said.
Currently, the unit supplies shopping bags to Pachaiyappa’s silks in Kancheepuram and other textile units. The women earn at least Rs 20,000 for every 3,000 cloth bags that they stitch.
“Various companies, including Shri Enterprises in Thiruvallur, Chennai Ramachandra Medical College, and Jai Industry in Villivakkam, have shown interest in buying from us. The women who were housewives in rural areas are now earning for their families,” said Anitha.
She is now encouraging other women in the village to join the unit to help support their families. She is also planning to establish the unit as a government registered body to train women and provide employment to otherself-help groups.
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