knitting together a venture

Nov. 21: Bodo women are weaving dreams of self-employment.

A training programme on bamboo craft and jute weaving is being held at the Sahitya Sabha Bhavan in Kokrajhar to promote entrepreneurship among women.

Organised by Gwjwn Alari, an NGO working in the area, the programme envisages training 150 women from various parts of the Bodoland districts in different trades. The training period is two months.

The beneficiaries are being trained in bamboo craft, jute craft, jute weaving, fabric and glass printing, toy making, embroidery tailoring, tile making and Chinese cuisine.

“Our objective is to provide a platform to potential entrepreneurs by giving them training and honing their creative skills so that they can stand on their own feet,” the secretary of the NGO, Jyotiprova Brahma, said.

The programme aims to empower the women and help them use their skills to improve their economic condition, she said.

“Women today are making their mark and rearing to go. They enjoy a fair amount of freedom in society. Earlier, women restricted themselves under the veil and within the four walls of their houses. Now they are seeing the external world with a new social eye and a burning desire to explore it. They are now in a position to extend cooperation to men, ” Brahma said.

After the workshop ends, the trainees will be encouraged to set up small-scale industrial units in rural areas and in sectors like agriculture and horticulture.

“The past few years have seen a massive exodus of villagers, including women, from rural areas to different parts of the country like Gujarat and Delhi. Women take up jobs in factories and we hear about instances of women being sexually exploited. If we can provide them jobs at our place, they will not migrate to other states for work,” Brahma said.