Most Indian homes, especially in small towns, semi-urban and rural areas have a stitching machine, a manual one at that. Most people in these locations have probably never seen an electric- powered machine. They do their cutting manually, so do they do their embroidery.
Today, electric powered stitching machines are the order of the day – be it cutting, stitching, embroidery or kaj/button equipment. Which is why when rural girls and women arrive at our workshops, you can see the surprise drip heavily from their eyes.
Most of them are scared to even touch these machines when they first come in. A few months later, they become experts at not just operating these machines but also delivering a variety of garments for children, men and women.
Most of our artisans come from deprived, lower sections of the society; they work at odd jobs or at jobs not requiring any specialised training as they are mostly unskilled. But once they finish training with SUS Garment, they either take up jobs with us or set up their own units. While those who chose to take up a job with SUS Garment earn anything between Rs. 20, 000/- to Rs. 30, 000/-. But there are many who decide to set up their own units in the region they come from. For them, these rural entrepreneurs, the sky is the limit.
They do not merely earn for themselves and their families; they are an inspiration to other women living in their colonies and villages. Many such girls and women have come to us through referrals from those who have trained and worked with us.
Our artisans have created several such circles of influence across Maharashtra and we at SUS Garment are keen that we become a catalyst towards the creation of several such circles across India. This indeed is rural empowerment at work.
Here are just a few of these success stories.
Ankita Wable says that she was trained on various machines on joining Sus Garment Cluster. Plus, she received Quality Assurance training on cutting as well as packing. Today, she is truly grateful to Sus Garment & Govt of India for a wonderful opportunity that has turned her life around.
Akansha Sonawane knew nothing of the garment business when she joined Sus Cluster. Shre got trained in stitching, cutting, finishing and packing and today, she can work in multiple areas. This opportunity at SUS Garment may one day lead to her setting up her own unit and training other women and producing quality garments for people living in her area.
Today, Sus Garment has emerged as a changemaker in rural entrepreneurship, especially for women. These girls and women are not highly educated; some of them have probably just managed to finish school. But after training at SUS Garment, they are able to earn a decent amount every month and their future looks bright.
We don’t just train them on various machines; we instil a sense of entrepreneurship in them, from the day they step in. We tell them that the days of jobseekers are over; it is now the era of job-providers. Especially in these times when the Government of India provides funding for small units. There are many success stories in various areas, ranging from restaurants to barber shops to fabricators and much more.
SUS Garment is thus also an opportunity to all CSR funders like government & public sector entities, private companies as well as foundations run by them.
Support from CSR funders can range from sponsorship for machines to material and much more. Such support will help many women stand on their own two feet, run their families independently, and inspire others around them.
Your support will help many women break barriers in their societies, especially challenges faced by rural women. If your interested, check us out on www.susgarment.com and connect with us. We look to you to help more and more women break their glass ceilings.
