This activity is being conducted since 1995, by women for women mainly for the benefit of women coming from low income. It is a joint venture of two NGO's Arbutus Children’s Cultural Center, and the University Women’s Association, Pune India.
The main aim of this activity was through Hobby ( Chhand ) women should be able to support their family.
UWA, Pune members train them in various activities like sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery, glass and fabric painting, ceramic work, making toys, artificial flowers, greeting cards, book marks candles, jewellery, cooking etc.
This project has gone a long way in enriching the personalities of the participants and at the same time equipping them to earn some money. A large number of women (50-60) are being benefited by this activity every year and many have become proficient in certain skills.
After training they work from home or on campus with supervisions. We also give certificates to those who become proficient in certain skills. This helps them to get orders from outside. About 5 to 10 participants take up jobs or start small businesses from their home and become self reliant.
Mehendi and Rangoli are kinds of decorations typical to Indian ethos. Those who have acquired these skills get work contracts to decorate the homes and apply Mehendi designs on hands and feet at weddings, poojas, festivals and other auspicious occasions on showing our certificates.
Some typically ethnic varieties of hand embroidery like kacchi, Kashida, bead and mirror work tie – and –dye with natural colours ( badhani) Zardosi, Warli art etc. are also areas which are fetching us orders from abroad. This is a great encouragement for both our committee members and also those who actually do work and earn some money.
The teachers are mostly the members of UWA Pune and work voluntary. We also conduct workshops for them. Mostly we try to involve the young girls in conducting these workshops.
Products made by these girls are put up at exhibitions for sale.
We would like Corporate sector to help these ladies to earn and develop self-confidence, by placing orders with UWAP.
We would like to thank NGO Kaivalyadam Lonavala for placing the order of bags above 1000 for their international conference |
