Securing Gainful Rural Livelihoods, One Stitch at a Time

One of the things I missed since the pandemic hit last year, is traveling to meet the Adani Foundation’s site teams and seeing their work in person. Breaking the monotony of meeting ‘online’ with a trip to Godda district in Jharkhand was like a breath of fresh air. As is often the case, I returned feeling more enthused and motivated than I had expected while setting out. A significant reason for this was the time I spent with the women of Phoolo Jhano Saksham Ajeevika Sakhi Mandal (PJSASM) at one of their school uniform production centres located in ITI Siktia.

PJSASM forms an important part of Adani Foundation’s nation-wide skill development programme which is implemented by Adani Skill Development Centres (ASDCs). Following the framework of National Skill Development Corporation, the ASDCs have imparted training to more than 65,000 beneficiaries as of December 2020 — of which about 65% are women. PJSASM represents the collective journey of the rural women of Godda – a tribal district which has been declared aspirational by the NITI Ayog. Named after the tribal heroines Phoolo and Jhano Murmu who fought bravely alongside their men folk during the Santhal Revolt, the PJSASM too has managed to usher a silent revolution at the grassroots.

Starting in 2017, women from different villages of Godda were trained by ASDC in garment stitching using industrial machines. They were then organized in the form of a Self-Help Group under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) for enrollment in gainful and consistent income generation activities. In March 2019, the production centre at ITI Siktia was inaugurated and not much later, the PJSASM members were entrusted by the district administration to stitch 4 lakh pairs of uniforms for the government school students for the academic session 2019-20. The Adani Foundation supported the group by installing 130 industrial sewing machines and a crèche was constructed in the premises, so that the women could work without any worries.

Since then, PJSASM has proven to be a scalable and replicable model of skilling and livelihood generation with plans for diversification and expansion underway. It has been appreciated and fully supported by the district authorities, boosting the women’s confidence levels greatly. A testament to this fact is the repeat order received in the next year, followed by an order to make sweaters. This is an example of the synergies that are created when government bodies and grassroots organizations work in tandem to strengthen the reach and impact of social welfare initiatives. 

Today, more than 1,700 women work at 18 production centres in or near their respective villages in Godda. The work is completely driven by the women – from selection of vendors, procurement of fabric, stitching, quality check, ironing, packaging of the final product to payment of workers and vendors. Every woman is earning a monthly income of more than INR 9,000 and bringing an improvement in her household’s standard of living. It hasn’t been easy for them – from battling mindsets of their own family members to overcoming challenging economic situations in their homes – what has been constant is their grit and perseverance. That’s what keeps us all going in the direction of building their capacity.

While interacting with the PJSASM members, they told me how they use their earnings to educate the children in their family and to ensure a balanced diet for the whole family. It is humbling to see the members’ success touching 1,700 families indirectly. This is also a reason why many of them could stay resilient amidst the coronavirus crisis. 

The skilling and entrepreneurial journey of the women of PJSASM is a tale of challenges and rewards. Much like the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day which is ‘Choose to Challenge’. A true celebration of women would be one where people of all genders get involved and pledge to challenge pre-conceived notions, biases and inequalities in the society, every step of the way. It is every person’s right to chase a steady income and a life of dignity.