It is important for us to give our children a better future, to do so empowering every woman, especially the underpriviledged is need of the hour, says VIBHA CHUGH
What made you empower the underprivileged women?
During the pandemic everyone was locked inside their homes. I was awake most nights by the hungry howls of the street dogs as the people who were feeding them vanished from the streets. I started feeding around 10 dogs, outside my society and within a month, I was feeding close to 200 dogs. To take care of those voiceless I needed money so I conceptualised the idea of starting something where I could earn money for their needs. I started searching for skilled women in Nithari village to understand the kind of skills that were present. They knew how to knit. That is how it all started and Sakha Ek Pehel Foundation was born.
What changes have you seen in women after you empowered them?
Many. Some of these women had never stepped out of their homes. When I took my team out for a lunch, that was the first time they had eaten food that was not cooked at home. But being associated with us, we are now over a-year-and-a-half-old, they have bank accounts. They may not earn pots of money but it empowers them — that they too have a standing in the society and can command respect. Every woman’s contribution matters, however big or small.
How important is it for women to be financially independent?
It is extremely important. Some of these women never knew what it was to have money in their hands. I told them that they have small kids. Where will they get the money from when it is time to send them to school? Financial independence gives them the freedom to be able to spend how they deem fit. Something that was alien to them before. To be able to safe for a rainy day or pay their child’s education is liberating. It gives them a sense of empowerment that they had never known was possible for them to get.
What were the challenges that came in your journey once the foundation was set up?
Setting up the foundation was not tough. What was challenging was to teach these women how to knit and crochet. But I never gave up. A few women knew the skill; they taught others. I spent hours looking at videos on how to crochet and then would in turn teach these women. But it has all been worth it. When I see these women and the kind of progress they have made, I am proud of them.
How many women are associated with the foundation? Can more join?
We started with a handful of women. Today there are 75 who are associated with our foundation. There is always scope for more. As our range of products (dog sweaters, beanies, mufflers, leg warmers, mittens, crochet table runners, sofa throws) increase, so does the demand for women who can make them.
How much do these women earn?
Some new joinees earn only Rs 500 a month because they can’t give that much time. Others earn Rs 9,000-Rs 10,000 (these are team leaders). But on an average our women earn anywhere between 6,000-Rs 7,000 a moth.
Where do you go from here?
Now that summer is here, we plan to widen our range of products (crochet bikinis, bandannas) that can be sold in summers as well. I want to give these women work all the year round and not just limit ourselves to the winter months. Hopefully, we will grow from strength to strength