Feel Blue Tailoring, one year later

10 February 2021 Isabella Tomassucci 0 Comments

Feel Blue Tailoring, one year later

A little over a year ago, at Christmas 2019, we started collaborating with Please Sound Onlus to support the emancipation of women in the Tamil Nadu region of India. From this collaboration, Feel Blue Tailoring was born, a workshop with 30 sewing machines, where they teach professional training that have involved over 100 women so far. This training course is part of a broader context, the Kalanjiam Community Banking Program of DHAN Foundation, which has as its ultimate goal that of fighting poverty in rural areas of India. DHAN aims to provide the poorest sections of the Indian population with the knowledge, skills and tools to be autonomous in managing personal and family finances: be aware of the value of money, learn to save, plan expenses, invest in their professional skills and run their own business. Feel Blue Tariloring is part of the latter part of the program, contributing through spaces, machinery and training courses managed by Please Sound Onlus. A year later we received the testimonies of three women, Selvi, Chellakilli and Thavamani, who participated in the Feel Blue Tailoring program and today independently manage small tailoring businesses that guarantee serenity and economic stability to their families. Selvi, Chellakilli and Thavami were able to leave heavy jobs with very low pay that often kept them away from their family, to successfully start tailoring businesses in their respective villages. Selvi and her husband Aandi live in the village of Melnilavur and have three young children. Every year, from January to May, they were forced to migrate to work in plantations. During their absence, they had to leave their children in government hostels. Chellakilli and her husband Venkatraman were in a very similar situation. In their report they talk about extremely poor working conditions. Thavamani is a widow, she lives in the village of Innandu and, to support her daughter, she did any kind of work, changing every day and without any certainty for the next day. All three of these women took part in the Kalanjiam Program and, together with one hundred others like them, attended the training course in the Feel Blue Tailoring workshop. At the end of the course they obtained a professional training certificate recognized by the Government and were able to apply for a loan to open their own business.

Today their life has changed.

Selvi and Chellakilli are no longer forced to migrate far from their children, while Thavami has finally achieved work stability. All three carry out their work as full-time seamstresses and manage to financially support their families. Chellakilli also welcomed two apprentices into her workshop, creating employment in her village. We have always believed that sustainability is, at the same time, a method and a purpose: a purpose that is realized only if we apply this method in every area. With Feel Blue Tailoring we have made a small contribution to a great cause, because supporting the personal and social empowering of people within the most disadvantaged community helps to reduce inequalities. Reading the testimonies of these women today fills us with energy to continue on this path.

To read the full testimonials in English, download the PDFs.

Selvi’ Story Chellakilli’ Story Thavami’ Story

Feel Blue Tailoring - Please Sound Onlus

Selvi’s Workshop

Chellakilli’s Workshop

Thavamani’ Workshop

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