Financial Independence

Tailoring Center

One Life Movement’s Tailoring Center is situated in the remote village of Salepali, in the district of Balangir, Odisha. This program began in the month of February, 2021 and is designed to help local women gain economic independence. Every year, 40 women will be a part of the tailoring program, free of cost, and they will learn the skills required to make a living by creating good-quality clothes.

We had to launch this center in the village of Salepali itself, because the girls from this village aren’t normally allowed to go anywhere outside their village. As a result, many of the village girls are limited to helping around the house after completing their basic schooling. Our Tailoring Center provides them with a new purpose and gives them the option of making a living, which is an important step towards independence and empowerment.

Initially, women join the Tailoring Center simply to learn a new skill that would enable them to gain financial stability. However, as the training progresses, they start enjoying the opportunity to get out of their homes and make friends. Our Tailoring Center becomes a place where they feel accepted and valued - an unfamiliar, but refreshing difference in many of their lives. The students at the center learn to sew any type of clothing with the help of a sewing machine. They also learn the art of embroidery and stitching. The staff at our Tailoring Center often double up as counsellors and confidants. The students at the center are carefully guided as they negotiate their way from insignificance to respectability and acceptance.