Success Stories from Skills@Chalice
In Tamil Nadu communities in southern India, it is common for a woman to marry shortly after completing high school. Once married, she is expected to stay at home to run the household and care for the children. Lacking hard skills for employment or self-employment, the women must rely on their husbands’ income to support their family, which is often insufficient. Some job skills programs are available locally, but charge tuition fees that are beyond the families’ means. Chalice introduced the Skills@Chalice program in 2012 to address this prevalent issue. Through it, men and women can access free 12-week courses in Tailoring, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Spoken English, electrical, or accounting software.
In the years since it began, there have be scores of graduates. During my recent visits to the Tamil sites this August, I had a chance to meet three graduates of the Tailoring course, whereby they had learned garment-making, repairs, as well as some small handicrafts such as making baskets and ornaments. Each woman has since turned her skills into a successful business.
Arockia Raini graduated in the second group of participants. She has two daughters who are both elementary school-aged, which is a costly time for an Indian mom. Her husband is an electrician, but she wanted to be able to supplement his income. After the Skills@Chalice program, she received a sewing machine from the Gift Catalog, and opened her tailoring business from home. This allows her to take on commissions on her own schedule, and still be able to take care of the children and run the household. She is able to earn around 200 rupees, approximately four dollars, in a day which is on par with the average Indian daily wages. She likes to make blouses, school uniforms, and men’s dress shirts. Her sewing machine came from the Chalice gift catalog, you can see the circular logo peeking out from behind the machine’s motor. We got to meet her youngest daughter – she wants to be a doctor!
Thaiyal Nayagi’s husband is daily wage worker, her son is in the fourth grade and her daughter is in grade seven. She graduated from the second group of the Skills@Chalice tailoring program alongside Arockia, and also chose to open a business from her home. Likewise, she received a sewing machine from the Gift Catalog.
Panitha Mary graduated in the sixth group of learners. She was able to lease a shop space and now runs her own tailoring business. Sewing a blouse earns her an average of 25 rupees, and she can sew eight in one day. There a dozens of custom designs and collars that can add on another eight to ten rupees. Like Arockia, on a typical day, she can earn around 200 rupees. If she is commissioned to do a more elaborate garment, such as a chadi (tunic and trouser outfit), she can earn closer to 450 rupees.
In addition to the specific skills training, the participants also receive intermittent workshops about relevant issues in their lives. I had a chance to observe a Women’s Health and Hygiene session put on by a local nurse, where they discussed screenings for uterine cancer, the importance of breastfeeding, and answered questions about family planning.
Chalice US offers many unique options for people seeking to make a difference in the lives of people in need beyond traditional child sponsorship programs. Through the generosity of supporters' donations to programs such as Skills@Chalice, families are empowered to strengthen their communities to offer stability and a stronger foundation for future generations.
— Kate Mosher, Creative Specialist & Photographer at Chalice