Stories of Hope And Change
There are stories behind every USHA sewing machine under the SIlai School program. These are stories of empowerment, independence, and resilience. Have a look at some of the stories of hope and change in our series of ‘Kushalta Ke Kadam’ (KKK).
IIT Delhi initiated an independent study in partnership with Usha, its NGO collaborators, and Silai School program beneficiaries. Over six months, the study included field research, phone interviews, and surveys to evaluate the impact of Usha’s Silai School program. The narratives of impact go beyond mere stories; they represent significant milestones accomplished by the resilient women of the Usha Silai Schools.
This episode tracks how the Army Wives Welfare Association (Awwa), in partnership with Usha Silai Schools, conducts vocational training courses empowering the lives of the wives of Army Personnel posted in remote and conflict-prone areas.
The active engagement of the Usha Silai School women in rejuvenating traditional gender-neutral sports drives a positive impact and helps the preservation of cultural identity. Alongside, the initiative encourages a holistic approach to empowerment and a healthy lifestyle, which is at the core of Usha’s initiative to revive forgotten sports to grow community kinship amongst the people of those regions
Watch the transformative journey of rural Usha Silai School with the introduction of the Usha Silai app. With its availability in 12 regional languages, the digital platform ensures inclusivity and offline mode for those with limited internet access. The Usha Silai School women are learning to sew via the Usha Silai app, like never before.
Recognizing the potential for socio-economic transformation through skill development, Usha has joined hands with various government bodies over the years to establish Usha Silai Schools in rural areas. The collaboration between Usha International and government bodies underscores a shared commitment to fostering grassroots-level development and promoting inclusive growth.
From sewing to marketing, Usha continues to upskill women by establishing Usha Silai Schools in rural areas and partnering with various government bodies.
In the past 12 years, more than 33,000 Usha Silai Schools have been opened. Some of the Silai School women have outshone with their extraordinary achievements. These women have shown unmatched resilience and will to transform their lives. They have come a long way in the Silai School journey and are now looked up as role models for other girls and women in their communities.
Usha has irrefutably established that a single sewing machine can be the empowering tool to help women attain financial independence. The Usha Silai School program continues to evolve through collaborations and partnership as shown in the episode and with each collaboration, Usha grow the number of women who get empowered, contributing to their economic and social well-being.
For over a decade, the Usha Silai School Programme has been making a remarkable impact, reaching even the most remote parts of our nation. Its mission is to ensure that every corner of India is touched by these life-changing programmes, empowering women and giving them self-sufficiency and eventually the recognition they truly deserve.
Apart from skill development, Usha Silai Schools are taking a step towards environmental consciousness. Women are making bags from waste banners, natural fibres and Usha Silai Schools in various regions are running on solar energy.
Usha Silai School women with their training are not only becoming successful entrepreneurs but are also adding regional craft elements to their sewing techniques.
10 Usha Silai School Women from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Sikkim participated in the East India Fashion Week 2023, to showcase their sewing and stitching skills. This is their inspiring story.
India is home to a wide variety of traditional sports. But over the years we have lost touch with our majestic sporting culture and many sports are even on the verge of dying. To re-familiarise the long-lost sports activities, USHA has stepped up to promote various traditional sports across India with the help of women of Silai Schools.
Watch how Usha and Meghalaya Government are giving employment opportunities to women and protecting the environment.
Usha has always worked to improve the status of women in India’s rural areas and now through Promising collaborations, Usha is looking at new possibilities to empower women and help them become entrepreneurs.
From Kerala’s Kalaripayattu, Madhya Pradesh’s Mallakhamba to the rural sports of Punjab’s Qila Raipur, the USHA Silai school has stepped in to promote the forgotten traditional sports activities among women. The organisation is putting together several sporting events in order to promote and refamiliarise diverse array of traditional sports in rural area.
Life after serving a sentence in prison barely remains the same, but USHA has taken a step ahead in giving a second chance at life to the prisoners. USHA training centre is imparting stitching and sewing training to the inmates of District Jail Dimapur, in order to enliven the positive spirit and generate post-imprisonment employment through skill development.
Meet the USHA Silai school heroes who have created a pathway for themselves and uplifted others in learning stitching and sewing skills, despite the physical challenges they have been facing in their lives.
While some women are breaking barriers by excelling in traditional forms of martial arts, other women are breaking barriers by fighting social prejudices. Watch how USHA and rural women are playing a key role in organising, promoting and participating in rural sports.
The Silai Heroes trained by the USHA Silai School Programme have not only become self-sufficient themselves but are now uplifting other women of their villages too. Watch women entrepreneurs change their own world, and that of others.
USHA Silai schools are training women in traditional forms of embroidery, such as Chikankari, Kantha, etc., teaching them new skills and empowering them to become entrepreneurs. Watch a revival of craft and fortune in this episode of Kushalta Ke Kadam.
Textile waste has become a menace to the environment. The women of the USHA silai schools are working towards reducing the waste by upcycling old clothes with classic techniques.
On the inaugural episode of Kushalta Ke Kadam Season 7, watch how solar power is lighting up the lives of women, who are using their newly acquired skills to become self-reliant and fulfill their aspirations.
Tribal women have inherent talents and abundant creativity. And now, with the USHA Silai Schools, they are getting an ecosystem that recognises their potential and nurtures their skills. Watch a special episode of Kushalta Ke Kadam.
In the fourth season of USHA Kushalta Ke Kadam, the Silai School program touched some new milestones. Such as the association with designer Rohit Bal, Meghalaya government, and Blind Relief Association in Delhi, to name just a few.
In Meghalaya, where plastic bags have been banned, USHA Silai School has trained women to make cloth bags, providing women with a source of income. USHA has also partnered with the Delhi Blind Relief Association to provide sewing training to visually impaired students.
The Usha Silai School program has received tremendous support and partnered with various public and private sectors. The recent ones being Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO)
Silai training in Manipur, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh go beyond the mainstream, setting an example in gender equality. Here, the women get mechanical training wherein they learn to repair sewing machines which was considered as a man’s job.
With the common goal of empowering people at the bottom of the pyramid, USHA and the West Bengal government collaborated on the training of 3,500 women from marginalised communities in 2018.
Usha Silai School initiative goes beyond mainland and to the most exquisite natural gems of India, the islands of Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Sunderbans. Featuring the turn in the lives of tiger widows, the tribals and the remote islanders of Arabian sea.
The Kashmir cluster has been a game changer for the women of the valley. The cluster created a bunch of experiences for them, including many firsts. From flying to Delhi for the first time to visit ace designer Rohit Bal’s production center to getting feedback from him, women had time of their life.
The final stage of the production for Rohit Bal’s line begins at the Usha Silai School in Srinagar. The team is struggling to finish the current workload before the deadline, apart from the additional work, the harsh weather was delaying progress.
In an attempt to tap into the talent pool in Kashmir, USHA Silai Label set up a design & production cluster in Srinagar. To select the best contenders, who would be part of the team to produce clothes for the Usha Silai Label collection by designer Rohit Bal to be launched at Lakme Fashion Week 2019.
In 2018, the garments made by Silai School women, 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.
A discussion on how sewing skills can increase women employment. Skill development and entrepreneurship seems to be the way forward, but how exactly do we reach the desired goal? Experts discuss how Kushalta Ke Kadam can kick start self-employment among women.
2006 brought Nithari, Uttar Pradesh, into the headlines and presented the world with one of the most convoluted and inhuman stories of violence and murder ever. Usha Silai Schools establish an eco-system of learning and development for the women in Nithari, giving them new beginnings.
The West Bengal Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation along with Indus Integrated Information Management Limited and USHA International provides skill development training to women for sustained livelihood generation through self-employment.
Usha Silai schools in Nagaland have not only helped women enhance their skills but have also given them the opportunity to become entrepreneurs. These Nagamese women have set an example for all Silai school women on how with efforts one can set up a go-to-market business model.
Meet the USHA Silai School men learners from a Coimbatore village, Tamil Nadu who have not only learnt the skill of creating garments through cuts and stitches but have also carved a niche for themselves within their own communities.
From stitching small pieces to now finally stitching a complete designer garment which is now open for Retail, the Silai school women today stand more confident of their skills and are now ready to take bigger challenges, as USHA Silai the fashion label gets launched at ORGAAN
Usha Silai Schools are helping curb migration in India's first smart village in Andhra Pradesh. And it is not just women but also few men, who have benefitted from the Usha Silai school programme
From enrolling to Usha Silai schools and now reaching to a level where these women have created garments which will be walking the ramp of the Lakme Fashion Week, they have truly traveled far.
This episode focuses on the shortlisted women from Jaipur and Ahmedabad and their preparation of the final garments for the Lakme Fashion Week.
The episode explores the Kolkata and Puducherry clusters and how these women were groomed by the designers to create collections for the USHA Silai Label.
The Dream Continues highlights the challenges, faced by the women while preparing garments for the urban market.
Usha Silai will create a platform that showcases the work of these local women from Usha Silai Schools from four identified creative hubs in Rajasthan, Bengal, Gujarat and Puducherry.
A discussion with distinguished guests and speakers on Social Equity Through Skilling And Economic Empowerment
This episode analyses the key factors behind the women empowerment initiative by USHA
The episode focuses on USHA Silai Schools and Self Help Groups in Kerala where women have been able to experiment with the USHA Silai School model organizing themselves into Self Help Groups
Kutch, Gulmarg & Kerala: More than 1% from the sale of every USHA Sewing Machine is invested into this programme, thereby enabling all USHA customers to share their love with rural women.
Kutch, Aizawl, Gulmarg & Kerala: More than 1% from the sale of every USHA Sewing Machine is invested into this programme, thereby enabling all Usha customers to share their love with rural women.
Manual Scavengers of Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur turn Entrepreneurs with a little help from Usha Silai Schools.
From post civil war uncertainty of Sri Lanka to the impoverished Terai lowlands of Nepal, multitudes of women are empowered everyday by Usha Silai Schools.
Politically unstable and insurgency-affected regions suffer from economic inertia and increased exodus. The episode presents how USHA Silai Schools are empowering women fighting against such oddities
Behind the success of many rural women is the Usha Silai School 7-Day Programme.
Silai Stories from West Bengal, one of the first Indian states where liberated women found courage and a voice to speak-up. Some of the most outstanding USHA Silai School success stories come from here
A special episode documenting on the aftershocks and progress of women thereafter after the brutal Nithari serial killings.
This episode looks at India’s heartland riddled with a myriad of problems, from maternal morality and neonatal health, to unwanted girl child, primary education and gender inequality
Today, Anuradha teaches 12 learners from her slum area. After opening up Usha Silai School, she has undergone a transformation that has benefited her personally and professionally.
Social acceptance and financial independence are the keys to empowering people, who are ‘challenged’. This episode explores the impact Silai Schools have made on differently-abled people
Two Tribal Women from Kanha, Madhya Pradesh create new opportunities for Other women where none existed
By putting efforts in Silai School, she could attain self-sufficiency and provide for her family in the most appalling circumstances.
Gender equality is as important as economic empowerment of women. A combination of the two has been proven to reduce income poverty and increase labour productivity through better allocation of skills
Prabha is truly a change maker at heart, what she desires more than anything is to change the lives of other women; this is how she is serving her community.
Usha Silai School women have been empowering and encouraging other women from their communities to learn silai and take it up as a vocation.
Some Silai school entrepreneurs have taken the initiative to new levels by not just expanding their own business but also bringing communities together
How Usha Silai School women have become financially independent despite rural institutional hurdles that perceive women as bad money managers.
She is teaching 6 learners at her Silai School. The role of a teacher became crucial in elevating her self-esteem & confidence.
In one of the poorest districts in Maharashtra, Dhule the first episode looks at how Kalpana Kamdi, Pratibha Khonde and Chhotibai are working to change their lives
USHA's campaign ties in with the dual purpose of the government’s 12th Five Year Plan: creating livelihoods and skill-based training programs
‘Learn and create’ says Team Mumbai Indians – Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Kieron Pollard – as they give their take on sewing and the Usha Silai School initiative and how it empowers women
From being a shy and introverted woman, married off at 16, to now this enterprising woman who is a teacher and a tailor as well.
It’s earned her respect and confidence in her community and that’s only a small part of it.
Her achievements have been published in local newspapers describing how she has become a role model to other women of her village.
Some of her students are working in garments factories at Bengaluru.
Sarvodya Ashram, Mallawa, Uttar Pradesh: Share Your Love: A Silai School teacher talks about few of the sewing training techniques and methods.
Srimathi, Husnabad, Andhra Pradesh: Share Your Love: Poor women are taught sewing skills in remote parts of India to help them earn a living. This video shows a group of women learning how to sew in Andhra Pradesh.
A single mother, she is educating her daughter and learning to live independently
Santu Maya Devi , Tingrai Bengaligaon, Assam: Share Your Love: A Silai School teacher in Assam who has a problem with one eye overcomes her disability to not only open a Silai school but prosper with a Tailoring Shop
Lucy from a village near Aizawl, shares her Usha Silai School story about overcoming income and farming problems in the Mizo hills
Sumitra Devi comes from one of the most backward districts of India where she got married at the age of 14.
Silai School Training program boosted her confidence and improved her quality of work,
Sarojini Devi has even purchased high end sewing machines to cope with her increased work
The village which she comes from is a hub for drug addicts and this also affected her family.
Fareeda Begum used her experience in a garment factory to look after herself, her mother and daughter
Gundamma has now trained 70 women and purchased 3 sewing machines
Khaidem Pravapati hopes more visibility for the Usha Silai School means more employment for women in her community
She has big dreams, for herself and for the women in her village
A widow at 22, Sultana now sustains her family through her stitching and teaching others
Inspired by Antima, her husband who was unemployed, began helping her and eventually got a job
Earning more than her husband now, she is the backbone of her family
Preeti, Kiran Bai, Nirmala Regar, Raja Bai, Uttar Pradesh, Madya Pradesh: Share Your Love: A short film narrating four different short stories of women empowered through USHA Silai Schools.
Kiran Bai, Bhavrasa, Madhya Pradesh: A group of fearless & empowered women through USHA Silai Schools take on destiny, crafting innovative designs and creating a world free from meaningless boundaries of caste and gender.
Sarvodya Ashram, Mallawa, Uttar Pradesh: Anita Diwedi tells how USHA Silai Schools enabled her not only to generate regular income but also gain the confidence to break male dominated social norms.
Samu Bai, Rajasthan: The approach to an USHA Silai School in a remote corner of Rajasthan, India.
Community Mobilization, Kerakat Tehsil, Uttar Pradesh: Members of the USHA Silai School Team interacting with the rural community and stakeholders in order to start the programme in the North Indian village.
Kalawathi and her daughter, Shyampet, Telangana: Share Your Love: A girl sharing how her single mother earned from Silai Schools and helped her get an education.
Sarvodya Ashram, Bangadmau, Uttar Pradesh: How an USHA Silai School teacher helped bring about socio-economic development in her rural community through teaching others to sew.
USHA Silai School , Tamil Nadu: Village Women are taught how to assemble a sewing machine in an USHA Silai School. These Silai Schools are established in remote corners of India to empower women.
Bharat Mata Block Mahila Samooh, NGO Office, Uttar Pradesh: Silai School training in UP with women from Self Help Groups.
Rekha Kishan, Pachim Mijikajan, Assam: Share Your Love: Silai School Women Entrepreneurs share their experiences at the Women’s Silai School Meet in Guwahati, Northeast India.