Through the 'Gitanjali' initiative, SEWA has been tirelessly working to empower women ragpickers since 1995
If you come across a quirky diary or a folder at any store in National Institute of Design (NID), it is possible that it was made by a ragpicker.
The school of design will soon start training ragpickers, who are associated with a project of Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), in making contemporary designs to help them, gain agency.
Through the 'Gitanjali' initiative, SEWA has been tirelessly working to empower women ragpickers since 1995. They have been trying to improve the products like diaries, files, folders, pen stands made by these women. The organisation has been instrumental in lifting their conditions and help them live a dignified life.
There are about 30,000 women associated with 'Gitanjali'. Out of these, 30-40 women run at the workshop in Rakhial.
"I proposed them help after I visited the workshop and saw the women working hard. We will soon train these women and make their work easy by introducing newer techniques to increase production," Pradyumna Vyas, Director, NID said.
"The NID students will spend some days at the workshop and train the women to improve their products. They will equip the women with contemporary and innovative designs. Secondly, the institute will put these products on sale at a shop on NID's campus", confirmed Manali Shah, President, SEWA. These women now earn Rs 200 each day.
SUCCESS STORIES:
Living with cancer for 18 years:
Twenty-three-year-old Pinkyben Chauhan's world fell apart when she was diagnosed with tongue cancer. It was not the disease that shocked her. What struck her the most ws her husband leaving her with two kids. Brave Pinkyben lives in Hatkeshwar.
After marriage, she used to visit the local dumpsite to collect the waste.
Now, it has been 11 years that she is associated with the Gitanjali project and educating her children.
Unable to speak because of the disease, Pinkyben communicates through sign language. She explains how the project has changed her life and her journey to be a worker in the organized sector.
60-yr-old is oldest ragpicker
Parvatiben Solanki, 60, is associated with SEWA since last 25 years. "Back then I used to earn Rs 11 a day and would leave my house early morning. I used to come back at around 3.00 pm. I was afraid of touching the waste because of the broken glass and acid bottles," she says
Solanki, of Danilimda, does is not shy to accept that she is uneducated. On the contrary, she is a proud production manager at the SEWA training workshop.
"I used to work as a waste collector at Pirana. I had breathing problems due to toxic elements. Eventually, I moved to Calico mills to mop the surroundings. I joined Gitanjali after the mills were shut," she said.
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