Mumbai: Women find hope in sui dhaga

An instructor talks to the students at a Sui DhaagaJi centre

An initiative to teach women from the city's slums how to be tailors, which took off in January 2021 in Malwani, has now spread to other parts of the country too, with many earning up to Rs 12,500 each month.

Sui DhaagaJi (SDJ) is a mission to skill women and make them self-reliant. "During the pandemic many lost their jobs and families were in turmoil. We did our best to provide meals to the families in need, serving 11 million meals during the 750 days of national emergency," said Narayan AB Iyer, CEO and national coordinator, Indian Development Foundation (IDF). However, Iyer felt there was a need to make people self-sufficient for the future. That's when he decided to launch Sui DhaagaJi. "We started it on January 26, 2021 in Malwani, from St Mathews School in Azmi Nagar."

The women learn how to sew during a class

The initiative was inspired from the Bangladesh model of empowering women in the garment industry. "In India, the industry employs the highest manpower after agriculture. India is the third largest exporter in the world and has one of the largest captive markets for garment sales, hence it will provide employment opportunities," he said. SDJ centres are now run at St Mathews School, Malwani; Canossa Convent, Mahim; Anjuman Islam School, Byculla; and Akshay Shakti and four other centres in Thane. In addition, they have one centre each in Bengaluru and Chennai run in collaboration with Srujna, while the one at Basti, Uttar Pradesh is run with Yuva Vikas Samiti.

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Maria Mantri, a 30-year-old Dharavi resident, is one of the first students who enrolled with the initiative. She wanted to provide for her family of three daughters and a husband, who earns Rs 10,000 per month. After completing the three-month course, she reached out to Sister Catherine Gonsavales of Canossa Convent. The school then decided to let a group of three women, including Mantri stitch uniforms for the school students.

That's where her journey of self-reliance started; from stitching one uniform in a week, Mantri now finishes one in a day. "I used to be a housewife and today, I am confident of making a living for myself and supporting my family financially. I am a school dropout, but want my daughters to study well." For Prajakta Palav, 29, the story is slightly different. "I lost my job abruptly during the lockdown. Now I am paid Rs 15,000 each month to teach women tailoring, which also opens a path for them to start taking control of their own lives."

Sister Gonsavales, who is also director of Dev Kripa Mandal Social Welfare Centre in Mahim, said, "Many women from Dharavi, Mahim, and nearby areas have been trained and some even started making a living for themselves. We are currently training the fourth batch."