How Sewing Machines & Parents Groups are Empowering Women in Communities

Locked Away—A Hidden Reality in Plain Sight

Picture a woman leaving her home for work in a rapid rush. She locks her home after leaving, pulling the lock to ensure it is indeed locked, and opens it only when she’s back in the evening. Inside the locked door, however, is a young girl—the woman’s daughter—who spends her day locked up all day, hearing her peers playing in the distant, and her girlfriends chatting away, day after day.

This is the reality of several girls and their single working mothers who inhabit the many crowded bastis of cities or urban slums. While the mothers have to step away to earn a living and support their home, the children are forced to stay locked up at home due to safety concerns. In case of girls, the fear of trafficking, abuse etc looms large, while for boys, substance abuse, peer pressure amongst other stands as a familiar foe.

“Within most households inhabiting these bastis located close to railway stations and bus terminals, the women are primarily either homemakers or breadwinners, doing domestic chores for a living,” describes Sandip Jha, Program Manager, Railway Children India. “Members of some of these communities are also seen to be involved in peculiar tasks such garlic peeling. These peeled garlic packets then reach uber markets of the city”, he further elaborates.

RCI’s Transformative Solutions to Women’s Issues—The Child Activity Center

No matter the tasks they are involved in, women face several challenges in their day-to-day lives. During an outreach session in Tulsi Nagar, team RCI came across a single working woman who would lock up her daughter in her home, just as described above. Upon reaching out to her, to understand why she would do that, she revealed that her daughter had dropped out of school due to disinterest in education. Not knowing what best can be done with her time and concerned about her overall safety, she thought it best to leave her in the house instead. This is where we introduced her to RCI’s Child Activity Center (CAC).

Available for children and parents, every community’s CAC is a safe space where children learn and grow in a safe environment—all within the confines of their community. The CAC has become a refuge for children and families alike, resolving a major issue of single parents, especially.

Financial instability is yet another major concern that worries single mothers of the community. Team RCI tackled this issue with a small group that left a huge impact.

Mission Vatsalya Brings with it Financial Relief for Single Working Mothers

Across four communities in Delhi, team RCI identified 5 families all run by single mothers who had close to no source of income. After identifying them, our team made efforts towards linking the women to the Preventive Sponsorship Scheme under Mission Vatsalya. Linking to this scheme entailed securing the necessary documents of all the women. If any document, such as the Aadhar Card was unavailable, securing that first. Followed by opening up bank accounts, wherein the women finally received a sum Rs. 4000 every month. For mothers struggling to provide essentials such as a school uniform, stationery, sanitary napkins, and more, this amount took care of some things, but gave immense relief.

Highlighting RCI’s endeavors to identify and mitigate the concern of financial independence among women is Pinky’s story.

The Humble Sewing Machine Transforms into a Tool of Empowerment

Thirty-five-year-old Pinky is a mother to three children, two adolescent boys aged 17 years and 18 years and one adolescent girl aged 14 years. All three of her children were active participants of the CAC in their community.

Pinky’s oldest son had dropped out of school, but with RCI’s assistance, he was enrolled in open schooling wherein he’s presently studying to complete his class 10 board exams. Her second son is presently studying in the 9^th grade and has also been enrolled in a computer training course, which will help him upskill and be prepared for employment. Lastly, Pinky’s daughter attends school regularly and actively participates in activities at the community centre. Paying close attention to and regularly following-up with all three siblings was a crucial task for RCI’s outreach team to prevent losing any of them to dropping out of school or getting involved in bad habits, given the dire financial insecurity at home.

Pinky, like the other homemakers, living in urban slums was no stranger to financial constraints owing to limited employment opportunities. With a family of five and her husband earning a modest income as a rickshaw puller, Pinky grappled with significant financial challenges. The irregular and insufficient earnings made it challenging to meet basic needs, let alone save for the future. The weight of financial responsibility bore heavily on Pinky, compelling her to seek additional income sources and also imposing an indirect threat for the adolescent boys to drop out of school and join the labour force.

Railway Children India’s timely intervention altered Pinky’s trajectory. Our team provided her with a sewing machine, with the goal of empowering her with a tool to generate livelihood and supplement her husband’s income. Armed with the sewing machine, Pinky wasted no time in leveraging her newfound opportunity. She sharpened her sewing skills and commenced offering tailoring services within her community.

Initially, Pinky started by sewing clothes and mending garments, effectively catering to the tailoring needs of her neighbors. She earned approximately Rs. 1200 to Rs. 1500 per month, depending on the frequency of orders, which were sporadic rather than consistent. However, she aspires to broaden her clientele within the neighborhood, and word of her adept craftsmanship is spreading rapidly. Pinky has observed a surge in demand for her services compared to her initial days, owing to her dedication and the superior quality of her workmanship.

Pinky’s initiative has helped positive changes throughout her family. The supplementary income generated from her sewing business alleviated financial strain, enabling the family to afford essential expenses and enhance their quality of life. With a more stable income stream, Pinky’s husband could concentrate on his work without the constant worry of making ends meet.

Pinky’s active participation in parent meetings at the Activity Center in Balmiki Basti underscores her commitment to community involvement. As an engaged member, she shares her insights and experiences, fostering a supportive environment for fellow parents grappling with similar challenges. Pinky’s journey serves as a source of inspiration, illustrating the transformative potential of perseverance and opportunity.

Pinky’s narrative represents the profound impact of a single act– the gift of a sewing machine – on a family’s livelihood. This serves as a classic example of family strengthening, from the lens of securing the economic stability of the family and being able to take better care of her children and preventing them from becoming victims of child labour.

Provided by Railway Children India, this sewing machine has risen above from its simple materialist nature to becoming a ray of hope and empowerment for Pinky and her family.

Parents Groups at Child Activity Centers Seed Discourse and Dialogue for Persistent Issues

Pinky’s success story motivated team RCI to roll out a phase-by-phase distribution of sewing machines among women. Thirty-one women across six communities having already received a sewing machine each have kickstarted their journey to financial stability and a better life.

Parent groups at CACs become a platform for stories like Pinky’s to be heard and shared. When parents like Pinky participate regularly in parent group discussions, they inspire other women to voice their concerns, initiate dialogue among themselves, mitigate recurring issues and find empowerment in unity.

It is through such dialogues and interactions that persistent issues such as sanitation and menstrual health management find avenues of sensitization and discourse.

Aiding, supporting and nurturing team RCI with resources to reach to and help more and more women like Pinky are our donors AirBnB and Crescendo Trading. Team RCI extends the its gratitude to them for believing in and extending their unwavering support to RCI.