As a part of the women empowerment project through our Vivekananda Community Foundation, the training to produce handicrafts using palm leaves started on March 01st, 2021. This project is in the village of Koduvamadu, Eravur Pattu, Chengaladi Divisional Secretariat Division.
The 15 trainees selected at the inaugural event were provided with a palm leaf tearing machine. Since training, we have moved to expand the products made by these women and taught them how to market their products effectively.
The village, which is home to about 190 families, is one of the most post-war afflicted villages in the area, with most of the people engaged in agriculture and some as rattan artisans and daily-wage laborers. There is only one grade 5 school in the village. The President of the Ladies Association said that the training was very useful in this village as the village is lagging far behind in terms of jobs, despite some basic facilities being provided.
In addition, there is no investment capacity for those who have received such training. For example, although a few weavers are found here, they do not have the financial means to purchase the machine and other raw materials. The same problem is being faced by the people who received tailoring training.
As a solution to this, we plan on expanding this empowerment project to 5 additional nearby villages, so these women can team up to scale their craft.
