Capacity Building And Export Market Readiness Training Workshop at ‘Mahila Bunkar Sahakari Samiti’ (29-30 March 2012)
Venue: MBSS Surajpur, Uttar Pradesh
SETU organized a two-day training & development workshop for our handloom weavers of Mahila Bunkar Sahakari Samiti on 29th & 30th march 2012 at Surajpur, (U.P.)., for Capacity Building & Readiness for Export Market.
MBSS is a co-operative group of artisans who create some of our beautiful home décor items as well as bags. The cooperative aims to organize the weavers of different villages in western Uttar Pradesh, and to train women with marketable skills. To date, more than 242 women artisans are working with this organization, who originally belong to the Schedule caste and the Schedule tribe community.
The workshop covered 2 basic objectives:
1) Capacity Building & motivation of artisans
2) Preparing the artisans & upgrading their skills for export market
The objective was to provide the artisans with elaborate knowledge & tips that are important in their everyday manufacturing, designing, buying and selling of products, preparing the products for export level quality, packaging management etc. Some of the key factors were discussed are as under:
1. Importance of quality for exports and their timely deliveries.
2. Achieving consistent quality
3. Maintaining better customer relationships and customer specification record.
4. Importance of customer complaint addressal & efficient communication
5. Flexibility: incorporating changes in quality, design & production quantity as per change in customer requirements.
6. Managing finances, working capital and optimizing the freight costs
7. Avoiding rejections & dead stocks
8. Packaging quality: reducing packaging cost without compromising on quality
9. Importance of non-toxic & natural dyes
10. Updating latest international trends and making new samples for international market.
11. Understanding the regulations and documentation for export.
On day one; Capacity Building session was initiated and was followed by the following major topics:
- Market Research: understanding needs of the customer,
- Types of Markets (Domestic & Export)
- Sourcing, Logistics / transportation,
- Design & production quantity as per customer requirements.
- Importance of quality control, elements of quality control, Inspection (Raw material, In-line & Final) & Inspection loop.
-Importance of quality for exports & establishment of quality standards,
-Matching delivery times,
-Cost reduction & optimization,
-Consistent quality and compliance.
On the second day, some of the pointers discussed are as under:
- Production planning and record keeping
- Packaging (purpose of packaging, types of packaging material, types of packing, packaging quality and reducing packaging cost)
- Latest international trends
- Eco-friendly dyes & chemicals
- Regulations for export, export license, documentation etc, Inco terms, Payment terms
With this workshop, the artisans were updated about design development, Indian & Export market opportunities that they can look for, product value for export market, better packaging training, fine stitching techniques, motivation for the business and time management. How to build up capacity, bring discipline, save time, create quality products with reduced rejections & wastes, increase productivity with least possible resources etc. were also the highlights.
The attendees were also compensated for their daily earnings along with an issue of certificate for attending this workshop which can works as an authentication for their skills.
Campaign on right disposal of household garbage and keeping the surroundings clean:Solid Waste Management (Date: March 5, 2012)
Venue: Chuk Phatak, Tekanpur, Gwalior
SETU in association with the Environmental Planning & Coordination Organization (EPCO) organized a campaign on “Right disposal of household garbage and keeping the surroundings clean and hygienic)” at ‘Chuk Phatak,Tekanpur’, a local area in the city.
The campaign was set up with an objective of enlightening the local population about different types of wastes, proper waste disposal, pollution and its direct ill effects on environment and on their lives. The awareness level of the crowd on cleanliness was found to be quite low, therefore, our speakers enlightened the crowd on various key points including the harmful effects of improper waste disposal & unclean surroundings. Keeping their home surroundings & local periphery clean as far as possible and many more related points were also discussed with the participants.
Customary bad habits were pointed out, some of them in brief are as under:-
1) Garbage dumping: throwing garbage anywhere without caring that people might step on it. It also attracts flies and mosquitoes further spreading diseases.
2) Defecation & Urination: We throw the animal and human excreta in the open, spoiling the cleanliness, creating foul smell along with portraying a bad picture of our nation.
3) Spitting: Another bad habit seen in people is spitting anywhere.
4) Not maintaining self-cleanliness and hygiene.
How can we make our surroundings clean? Following points were discussed:
a) Defecate in a sanitary latrine and using enough water to throw into it keeping them neat and clean
b) People can get together and build a common latrine.
c) We can also make water-sealed pit latrines away from the source of drinking water and residential areas.
d) We can also make other toilets such as `Suvidha’ & ‘Sulabh Shochalaya’ at public places.
e) Using of dustbins and dustbins only.
f) If there are no toilets, then the place for defecations in the open must be selected which should be away from human habitation and from the source of drinking water. The stools should be covered with sand or soil to prevent the spread of germs.
g) After defecations hands and feet should be washed with soap and clean water also take regular baths to maintain self-hygiene.
h) Keep the food and drinking items always covered
Special focus was given on solid waste management:
Disposal of wastes into:
1) Degradable waste (dry waste & wet wastes)
2) Non-degradable waste.
Degradable waste can be further segregated & used to feed animals & as humus for plants and non-degradable waste can be recycled where possible. This can be done by putting two bins separately and segregating the garbage respectively.
The participants were also educated on RCH issues like:
- What type of Nutrition is needed & how to avail the best
- Free distribution of iron tablets among young girls & women
- Family planning
- How to avail best quality treatment at reasonable prices
- Vaccination for safe motherhood
- Vaccination of children for lifelong immunity.
The session also included an interactive ‘One Minute Competition’ for the crowd where the first to collect & segregate the garbage correctly was the winner of the competition.
SETU distributed cleaning tools (dustbins, disinfectants & broomsticks) to the participants. A small yet broad demonstration was made to the crowd explaining the effective use of the tools distributed to them. Pamphlets/flyers were also distributed which covered all the related information for their study & follow-up in future. The reaction from the participants seemed positive and enthusiastic. They also contributed with more ideas of their own to address the issue.
Save the water & Save the trees/ forests (Date: Feb 28, 2012)
It has been known that contaminated water is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases, and that it accounts for the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily. An estimated 700 million Indians have no access to a proper toilet, and 1,000 Indian children die of diarrheal sickness every day. With this distressing fact in mind, SETU in association with the Government’s Environmental Planning & Coordination Organization (EPCO) organized a “Save the water & Save the trees” campaign at ‘Jakhara, Morar’ a local area in Gwalior.
The campaign was set up with an objective of enlightening the local population about the importance of water in not only an individual’s life but also of its existence on the planet earth. Another significant point of discussion at the campaign was saving the trees & forests. Cleanliness of water & surroundings of water bodies was specially stressed upon.
The awareness level of the village on environment sustainability was low, due to lack of education & exposure. The surroundings of their water sources i.e. the hand pumps & wells were found contaminated and unhygienic, hence the area was chosen to demonstrate the ways of saving & cleaning natural resources & focus on the importance of this important issue.
The event was started by quoting-
“A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man”
&
“Plant a tree & get air for free”
Our speakers enlightened the crowd on various key points; some of the key pointers are briefed as under:
• Water conservation- The goals for water conservation include sustainability, energy conservation and habitat conservation.
• Save water and trees, secure the future
• Agriculture and water
• Water-saving tips for domestic consumption
• No substitute to water
• Endless uses of water
• Contaminated water cause diseases
• How to clean and purify water for drinking
• Save trees and forest- if you cut one tree plant two to bring a balance
• Water & trees are the wholesome source of living beings to survive.
SETU distributed chlorine tablets and solution that helps in cleaning the water. Importance of same was explained to them. Printed material in the form of flyers / pamphlets was also distributed containing all the relevant information discussed above.
The completion of the seminar was done by cleaning the nearby hand pump area, which is also the water source for local residents of the area.
The reaction from the crowd was positive and enthusiastic; they did come up with some doubts, which our speakers were able to clarify. They also contributed with more ideas of their own to address the issue.
Workshop on Spreading the importance of Health & hygiene for infants & Women:
Venue: Amar Pradhar Lashkar, Gwalior (January 24-25, 2012)
SETU organized an awareness program on “The importance of Health & hygiene and providing the knowledge of iodine & ORS for infants & Women”. The area selected was a local slum inhabited mostly by uneducated, migrated & poor population of mixed communities. The locality is quite dirty and the people here were observed to have poor sanitary habits. The awareness level is low and the prevalent of diseases is high. Girl child education is low, contributing to further lower level of living standards. Most of these people have unreliable sources of regular income and are mostly laborers, artisans or are unemployed.
About 100 families attended the workshop.
Some of the points discussed in the program are as follows:
- The ill effects of poor sanitation, that becomes the root cause of many diseases like typhoid & cholera.
- Keeping the house & the surroundings clean & healthy
- How to purify the water if someone is unable to afford the regular filters available in the market
- Washing the hands before & after the meals
- Cutting their nails regularly & keeping them clean
- Brushing the teeth twice a day to keep teeth & gums health
- Steps to be take for a person suffering from diarrhea and the importance of ORS.
- Importance of iodine in our food.
- They were explained about the nutritious food carry iodine and other important elements.
- Importance of girl child education
NASHA MUKTI (De- Addiction) & EDUCATION AWARENESS (January 11, 2012)
Venue: Mandari Ki Mata Village, Gwalior
SETU organized a Nasha Mukti (De-addiction) & Education Awareness workshop at Mandari Ki Mata Village in Gwalior Area. There were approx 100 attendees with mixed ratio of male and female. SETU team members began the seminar by introducing the guests & briefly explaining the audience the gist of intoxication and its effects on human mind & body.
They spoke about, how in this contemporary world, a man for his corporeal satisfaction, falls for abhorrent and dangerous lifestyle like addiction to intoxicants in desire to acquire some peace of mind, to escape worldly troubles, to get an ecstatic feeling or to get rid of social embarrassment leads people to the use of drugs.
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Nasha or in layman’s language – drunkenness, inebriation or intoxication is an impermanent state resulting from excessive consumption of the following:
- Alcohol (Yellow): all types of alcohol products like country liquor, beer, wine, laththa etc.
- Nicotine (Red): products like bidi, cigarettes, mava, tobacco chewing, snuff etc.
- Drugs: this consists of Opium, Marijuana,Cocaine, Charas, Ganja, Bhang, Brown Sugar and so on.
An elaborated discussion on the evil effects of addiction on human body took place; some of the pointers explained to them are as follows:
- Alcohols have poisonous effects on the nerves, the heart as well as the digestive system.
- Nicotine is explicitly described in medical dictionaries as a powerful and active poison.
- Smoking brings in nicotine, as well as the highly poisonous gas, carbon monoxide, into the lungs. That is why even a pack of cigarette holds a statement saying “SMOKING IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH”
- Nicotine causes increased discharge of adrenalin and noradrenalin into the blood stream, which leads to hardening of the blood vessels.
- The arteries also become crammed and frail, resulting in hypertension to angina pectoris and heart attacks.
- Persistent use of these drugs leads to severe damage to the liver, the heart, the kidneys, the brain and the nerves.
The crowd was also enlightened about how addiction not only leaves a negative effect on human body of the addict but the families of such individuals also suffer. This could lead to an unharmonious relation between husband & wife and in some cases their children too. We all have heard stories from our neighbors or our house cleaners for that matter that their husband beats them brutally after coming back home in a drunken & a state of intoxication. It puts a huge scar of depression for the whole family. The children are neglected, emotionally scarred & witness the vulgar & violent nature of an addict (in this case, their own parents or related adults) and often fall prey to criminal activities. Such families suffer from economic crises and ultimately from social & financial stigmas, as they tend to splurge money on their addiction leaving them to struggle in making everyday’s expenditure along with hampering the basic need of food, health and education for their children.
Local volunteers were motivated to spread the word of knowledge whenever possible. Some of the wives decided to put an end towards this evil habits of their spouse and husbands took pledge to cope up with their problem of addiction towards alcohol & drugs.
Save the girl Child (November 27, 2011)
Venue: HFWTC,Gwalior
‘Child Right Observatory’ Bhopal (M.P.) organized a seminar on ‘Save the Girl Child’. The seminar was held at HFWTC,Gwalior, with the help of 15 supportive welfare societies, and SETU was one of the participatory members of the seminar. The members talked about an essential problem existing in the populace, the seminar enlighten the newly wed couples about the evil practices prevailing in the society in reference to female feticides & infanticide.
Conversation also included Gender Equality & other related issues. At the end lag of the whole seminar, the results seemed fruitful as the attendees took a pledge that they will make sure that will do their best to put a halt to this ill will in their surroundings and shall spread the word of wisdom in their vicinity and locality.
Celebration of International day of elimination of violence against women ( November 25, 2011)
Venue: Mayur Nagar, Thatipur and “Family counselling Centre”Gwalior(M.P.)
SETU organized a local community meeting with women residing at Thatipur, Gwalior (M.P.) to draw attention to ‘eliminate violence against women’. These women belonged to the vulnerable section of society. Mr. L R Kaushal & Ms Gulmohar Matta (SETU team members) discussed the impact of this on the mental structure on women as well as on their children. They also enlightened them about some ways & solutions that can be thought off. Reasons on why the women are forced to suffer were discussed in details. Some of the points discussed were:
- How apprehension of speaking out and confronting the society makes her suffer more.
- Motivation to share and speak about what’s going wrong with one self or perhaps in one’s neighborhood.
- To stand against such violence and those people who are committing crime
- The ill effects on family members, etc.
- How to seek professional help and support available from various Govt. & Non-Govt. Agencies.
SETU team also visited “Council Centre” Gwalior to interview some brave women who had guts to be bold enough to fight with their problems. These women are now combating for their rights and the government organizations are helping them with their court cases, schooling, clothing, and food along with training them to learn vocational trades so that they can be self-sustainable. SETU hopes to provide them with livelihood opportunities to make them self-sustainable.
“Say no to Polybags”- SETU observes World Environment day (6th June 2011)
World Environment day was observed at SETU with the theme “Say no to polythene”. On the occasion, a session spreading awareness about environmental issues was organized in City mall atGwalior.
In the event, SETU team members made people aware of the ban on polythenes in Gwalior and asked them to share their views on it. Most of the people appreciated the ban and said that such steps are necessary to protect the environment but still many did not take any pro-active steps to minimize the use of polybags. SETU team told the harmful effects that polythene usage poses on the environment and requested people to carry their own reusable shopping bags like cotton and newspaper bags.. Also, the importance of using recycled eco-friendly products was explained. .A lot of eco-friendly alternatives were displayed which can replace polybags, such as recycled newspaper bags, re-usable cloth shopping bags, recycled fabric bags, natural fibre bags, recycled cassette tape bags etc.
Another topic discussed at length was vehicular pollution that occurs as a result of smoke generated from vehicles. People were told that proper maintenance of vehicles is one of the solutions to it.
The highlights of the occasion included an `environment day’ quiz featuring an eco questionnaire. Ecofriendly bags made from recycled material were given away as prizes to those with high environmental I.Q.!!
Generating awareness on sanitation and hygiene – (20 May 2011)
A workshop on clean practices
Poor sanitation is the root cause of many diseases like typhoid and cholera which can sometimes prove to be fatal. But not many people are aware of this and consequently suffer from a range of health ailments which can be easily prevented by taking a few precautionary hygiene measures. Thus, with a view to create awareness on the importance and need of sanitation and hygiene, a workshop was organized at an urban slum atGwalior.
Making the world a fairer place!! Celebrating World Fair Trade Day!!! (14th May 2011)
On the occasion of World Fair Trade Day, a workshop explaining the ethical Business Model Fair Trade and its scope was organized for the students ofJiwajiUniversity,Gwalior. The students were all from the stream of MSW (Master of Social Work)
The session aimed at introducing the concept of Fair Trade to the young audience whose lives otherwise remain untouched by this benevolent idea. SETU team started the session by throwing light on the basics of Fair Trade and its principles and how Fair Trade can lend a helping hand to the underprivileged communities. After discussing the world economic pyramid, Fair Trade was presented as a powerful tool for alleviating global poverty & as an ethical business alternative to the conventional trade stream.
As the session unfolded, need of Fair Trade in the developing world was discussed at length. The idea of Fair Trade “trade not aid” quite appealed to the students. Also, they appreciated the social impact that Fair Trade signifies. Students enthusiastically participated in the discussion and shared their views on how Fair Trade can be converted into a mainstream concept so that more and more people can benefit from it.
The session was a motivating and inspiring one as many students were seen taking interest in Fair Trade. Many of them are planning to start their careers with NGOs & co-operatives and work for socio-economic upliftment of the needy masses.
Food and nutrition workshop at Gwalior (7 April 2011)
On the occasion of “World Health Day”, a health and nutrition workshop was organized by SETU on 7th April 2011 at Huravali,Gwalior; for the residents of a slum area inhabited by people living below the poverty line. The workshop was conducted by Mr. L.R. Kaushal, social welfare manager at SETU.
The workshop was aimed at spreading awareness about healthy food practices and nutrition disorders like malnutrition, The session started with a brief overview on malnutrition, its ill effects and what can be done to prevent this disease.
Kaushal then asked the people about their eating habits i.e, what type of food they eat and in how much quantity. After listening, Kaushal told the audience about the typical ingredients of a balanced diet and revealed the fact that taking a balanced diet is the only cure to this nutritional disorder.
Pamphlets were distributed to the people specially designed at SETU to make them well aware of malnutrition and its consequences.
In the workshop, people were shown the ingredients of a balanced diet like fresh green leafy vegetables, seasonal fruits, pulses, and cereals. Arrangements were made to provide the people with nutritious food rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fat and all the essential vitamins.
World Environment Day – 5th June 2010
This year, the World Environment Day was celebrated at SETU with an exciting theme “Know & save your environment” which is selected with a view to generate awareness on environment related issues. The whole activity took place in Dindayal city mall at Gwalior where the target participants were store owners, small shopkeepers/retailers & end customers. SETU team explained the importance of using eco-friendly products to the people. A lot of eco-friendly alternatives were displayed which can replace polybags, such as recycled newspaper bags, re-usablecloth shopping bags, recycled fabric bags, natural fibre bags, recycled cassette tape bags etc. Customers were also requested to bring their own reusable shopping bags while shopping to reduce the use of polybags.
The highlight of the occasion was an `environment day’ quiz featuring a simple questionnaire. Lots of prizes (which consisted of eco-friendly jute bags as well as lead free fashion jewelry) were also announced & distributed in the end to motivate people.
Girl child awareness programme at Dahod, Gujarat
SETU sponsored an educational awareness program for the education of `Girl child’ amongst tribal community the villages of Dahod District.
The program was brought into action through one of our artisan groups in Gujarat. In the program, the campaigning team interacted with various girls where the team explained the benefits of girl child education not only to the girls but also to their mothers. Initially the mothers were slightly skeptical about the idea of girl child education and were not sure about it as they were of the view that its better that girls should do household work as this only will help them once they get married and there’s no use of educating them. Also if the girls get educated, it would be difficult to find a suitable match for them. These all doubts were cleared by the team and ultimately the team got them convinced.
A step forward towards preserving the environment
Pollution prevention day is observed annually on 2nd December with a motive to create awareness on environment related issues. SETU, going by its green policy, observed this day by holding a workshop among the management students of Jiwaji University, Gwalior. The session started with a power packed presentation by our President Rashmi ,explaining the various contributors in polluting the environment.
The highlight of the presentation was solving environmental issues through fair Trade. Many topics were discussed like Greenhouse effect, climate change, recycling of products and the like. Several quizzes were set in between the session to increase student participation and for monitoring the level of awareness present in the students about the environment. Students were asked in advance to bring at least one practical tip to prevent pollution, a day before. Several green prizes were given for the best tips and the quiz winners.The students were suggested to adopt the “Go Green” lifestyle. The advice was accepted by students with open arms. They committed to plan some green activities in close association with SETU society along with the campaign of promoting green living.
Creating AIDS awareness among youth
Youth are the present and future, they are the ones who can bring an era of change. Therefore it is very important for them to be aware about AIDS. India is a conservative society where children are not given proper education on STDs like AIDS. Whatever knowledge they gain is from the outer world like from their friends, media etc. but this information is not sufficient as it may create confusions on the topic rather than clarify the doubts. SETU realized this fact and organized an interactive session on AIDS awareness. This event took place in the campus of Jiwaji University, among the students of M.B.A wing. Dr. Yogesh Upadhyay (head of the Department) along with the faculty contributed a lot in organizing the sessions. The interactive session was delivered by the president of the Society, Mrs. Rashmi Dhariwal.
Few minutes before the session, red ribbon logo badges were distributed among the students to create a platform and make them a part of the campaign against AIDS.
Myths related to AIDS were set to rest in the young minds who gathered there and enthusiastically participated in a Quiz- cum- dialogue on related issues. The session was aimed to spread awareness among the young people and to increase acceptance in the attitude of sensible youth of modern era for HIV/AIDS victims.
Beside AIDS and HIV awareness, other health related topics like` thalassemia’ were also discussed..
The interactive session was followed by the quizzes along with the prizes, which comprised of the Fair Trade best seller items of the Year. Prizes are distributed to several students for motivating the participation in the session.
HIV/AIDS awareness camp for sex workers at Reshampura-Badnapura on 12th nov. 2009
The villages of Badnapura and Reshampura are inhabited by the people of Bedia community. Bedia is a traditional sex worker community. They have been living here for more than 50 years. The history of this community shows that in olden times, the Royal families and local lords, promoted this community for their entertainment because of their expertise in signing and dancing. With time, this became a profession for this community and developed into full-fledged prostitution trade.
Further, this village is very near to Gwalior Transport Nagar through which about 3500 trucks pass everyday. Of these, about 500-700 trucks halt here every day and their stay could vary between 5 hours to 3 days
The aim of the one day health camp was to make the rural areas aware of the issues like “HIV/AIDS’ and ‘Family Planning’ and to provide them with best medical treatment & expertise health check-up , free of cost , at their door step.
- To provide free medicines and medical treatment for the people..
- Identification, testing for HIV/AIDS.
- Motivating women and make them aware of their health related issues.
- Uplift the community through awareness generation, health education, and strength building.
- We also aimed to connect the schools and Anganwadis with the community by taking them along with us for promoting education, health awareness and sanitary issues.
- Emphasizing on Information Education and Communication resulting in generation of awareness and change in the social scenario for women.
- Address entire population to bring about the relevant behavioral changes for improved health practices.
Following facilities were provided in the camp:
- Free Gynecological check up
- Distribution of medicines free of cost. The medicines included generic medicines, antibiotics, contraceptives, multivitamins etc
- Free AIDS testing, maintaining confidentiality of reports
- Awareness about reproductive & child health issues.
- Follow up after the camp
In the camp, it was found that many of the women were ignorantly suffering from serious gynecological problems for many years (some were suffering even from last 20 years) The main reasons being illiteracy and the lack of access to avail medical treatment. All the check ups were done under the supervision of an expert gynecologist, Dr. Pooja Mundra (M.S., gynae & obstetrics) and the medicines prescribed were given free of cost . Also, the women were assured of free follow up after the camp.
AIDS testing was not an easy one to carry out. Initially the people were skeptical of being tested for AIDS but when they were assured of confidentiality about their reports, they opened up. “Prevention is better than cure”, following this phrase, condoms and contraceptives were distributed free of cost among the target population.
