An initiative to teach women from the city’s slums how to be tailors, which took off in January 2021 in Malwani, has now spread to other parts of the country too, with many earning up to Rs 12,500 each month.

Sui DhaagaJi (SDJ) is a mission to skill women and make them self-reliant. “During the pandemic many lost their jobs and families were in turmoil. We did our best to provide meals to the families in need, serving 11 million meals during the 750 days of national emergency,” said Narayan AB Iyer, CEO and national coordinator, Indian Development Foundation (IDF). However, Iyer felt there was a need to make people self-sufficient for the future. That’s when he decided to launch Sui DhaagaJi. “We started it on January 26, 2021 in Malwani, from St Mathews School in Azmi Nagar.”