How learning one skill helped a family tide a crisis
Shagufta was learning tailoring when the lockdown struck on 25th March 2020, suspending all non-essential activities. For some life slowed down, for some like Shagufta Parveen it was a new challenge of daily food. Fortunately, being a member of Children’s Development Khazana (CDK), at Mahila Development Centre, Muzaffarpur, Bihar helped her find a way out of this situation too.
Shagufta (18 years), used to learn stitching clothes at a shop after school. As the pandemic struck with the consequent lockdown, essentials were getting over, so was the confidence of people. Shagufta approached the shop (where she used to practice stitching) which also was facing the heat of the lockdown, with her idea to stitch and sell masks to earn some money for herself and her family. The shop owner told Shagufta that she could use the machine, if she can arrange the money (3000 INR) to buy raw materials for the masks.
Shagufta immediately checked her savings in her CDK Passbook and having only half the required amount reached out to two other members, who contributed their savings too. Purchasing the raw materials, Shagufta took the sewing machine and started her journey of making masks which were one of the much sought-after commodities in the market. Ever since she began (two months ago), she has been able to stitch and sell 300 masks which helped her family survive the lockdown.
The first few masks were donated by her to other children and staff at MDC. Embodying the spirit of entrepreneurship, savings and financial management learnt through CDK, Shagufta became a model of atmanirbharta (self-reliance) for her family and community.
Read more about the Childrens Development Khazana here- https://butterfliesngo.org//programmes/childrens-development-khazana/
