Slum women sew cloth alternative
Mumbai: Aaj Ki Naari Kaisi Hai, Phool Nahi Chingari Hai.
Repeating the slogan at least a dozen times at Mankhurds Annabhau Saathe Nagar slum on Sunday morning were a 100-odd men, women and children, packed like sardines in the hot sun along a narrow bylane. The occasion? They were inaugurating the Sakhi Navnirman Rozgar Shikhlai Kendraa tin shed from which the women of the slum planned to sew their own cloth bags as an alternative to plastic.
Incidentally, Sunday happened to be the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, a 19th century social reformer who pioneered womens rights in India. Her photograph was placed outside the centre. But occupying pride of place inside was a newspaper clipping on plastic bags. The initiative has been supported by the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM), led by activist Medha Patkar.
Slum communities bring a whole host of services to the doorstep of the middle class, from delivering newspapers to domestic work. But their labour is not recognised. The women from the slum are very skilled and we hope such centres will go a long way in providing them with a source of self-employment. The initiative will also help the government in its fight against plastic bags. We hope the middle-class will help us and purchase these bags, said Patkar.
Two expert seamstresses from the slum, Shabnam Khan and Sonu Mutte, displayed a dozen cloth bags they had stitched the day before. Not only will they stitch their own cloth bags at the centre, but they will also teach sewing to other women from the slum.
The women plan to sell their bags at cheap rates as they will eliminate middlemen and sell directly to the consumer. Instead of washing utensils and sweeping floors at other peoples homes, women from our slum can make a living working for themselves, says Sushila Patel, a woman from the slum.
A similar centre was set up two years ago in the Ambujwadi slums at Malad.
Repeating the slogan at least a dozen times at Mankhurds Annabhau Saathe Nagar slum on Sunday morning were a 100-odd men, women and children, packed like sardines in the hot sun along a narrow bylane. The occasion? They were inaugurating the Sakhi Navnirman Rozgar Shikhlai Kendraa tin shed from which the women of the slum planned to sew their own cloth bags as an alternative to plastic.
Incidentally, Sunday happened to be the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, a 19th century social reformer who pioneered womens rights in India. Her photograph was placed outside the centre. But occupying pride of place inside was a newspaper clipping on plastic bags. The initiative has been supported by the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM), led by activist Medha Patkar.
Slum communities bring a whole host of services to the doorstep of the middle class, from delivering newspapers to domestic work. But their labour is not recognised. The women from the slum are very skilled and we hope such centres will go a long way in providing them with a source of self-employment. The initiative will also help the government in its fight against plastic bags. We hope the middle-class will help us and purchase these bags, said Patkar.
Two expert seamstresses from the slum, Shabnam Khan and Sonu Mutte, displayed a dozen cloth bags they had stitched the day before. Not only will they stitch their own cloth bags at the centre, but they will also teach sewing to other women from the slum.
The women plan to sell their bags at cheap rates as they will eliminate middlemen and sell directly to the consumer. Instead of washing utensils and sweeping floors at other peoples homes, women from our slum can make a living working for themselves, says Sushila Patel, a woman from the slum.
A similar centre was set up two years ago in the Ambujwadi slums at Malad.