Jan Shikshan Sansthan to bring sea change in lives of coastal dwellers

MALAPPURAM: The Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Malappuram district unit has embarked on an ambitious mission to bring about a sea change in the socio-economic life of hundreds of fisher families through a skill development and entrepreneurship project designed exclusively for women. The project ‘Unnathi’ has identified 1,000 women from the economically and educationally backward families on the coastline for a free training course on apparel production.

Special training camps have been set up in Vallikkunnu, Mangalam, Purathur panchayats and Ponnani, Tanur and Parappanangadi municipalities.  After the six-month-long course already underway, sewing machines will be provided to them to start apparel making units. The JSS had done a market research ahead of introducing the project to find a steady market for garments they produce. “The JSS would launch a quality brand for these products for distribution, and a unique niche will be created in the market,” says V. Ummer Koya, JSS project director.

Some 242 Joint Liability Groups (JLG) have been constituted among the 1,000 women as per the NABARD norms, and each four-member group opened a joint bank account. Each group will also get '2,000 as an incentive from the NABARD.
“They have started savings in small denominations along with the training. They will have Rs 25000 as initial capital to start their own venture after six months,” he said. The JSS, which will distribute 1,000 sewing machines after the training, also plans to invest the amount received from the UNESCO as part of the international literacy prize of 2016 to set up a finishing school to provide leadership, marketing, basic accounting and computer training for the JLG heads.

“The Unnathi project is meant for a complete change in the life of people in coastlines. This has planned in a manner that would eventually bring changes in the healthcare and sanitation along with socio-economic empowerment,” P.V. Abdul Wahab M.P, the chairperson of the JSS unit, said. YSK Seshu Kumar, the director general of National Literacy Mission Authority, who visited some of the coastal towns to review the project, had appreciated the JSS mission.