Previously: Friends of the Poor in South India

Tailoring Skills:

Trainees are recruited for the six months course offered by expert seamstresses. On completion they are awarded a certificate – which is now recognised as proof of ability by local employers. Once trained most are then provided with interest free loans to purchase sewing machines.

The training is offered in three centres, one of which trains women from the extremely disadvantaged charcoal burning community. 110 women are trained each year and to date well over 1,000 women have been trained.

The Tailoring Co-operative:

Because the women gather together for the training, this gives them opportunity to share ideas and concerns – empowering these women for the first time. Of their own initiative eleven such women have created their own sewing cooperative! With our help, they have invested in modern garment-making machines, so that they are now earning £10 per day instead of their usual £1.50 per day! This successful pilot project will now be repeated with new co-ops of a similar nature.