HYDERABAD: Village women in three districts Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan and Hyderabad have started making personal protective equipment (PPEs), including face masks, gowns and hand gloves at their homes for market.
It has been observed that PPEs either are in shortage or unavailable in local markets. Thus, the skilled women in 15 villages have been imparted a training for stitching these valuable products at homes to meet the demand in local market.
Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO), a village support body, helped these skilled women with provision of sewing machines, clothes and necessary material, so they may prepare these products, which have dire need in local markets.
These women will have linkages with urban markets in three districts to supply their products and earn little income through this specific work for their sustainability at this difficult time.
After conducting need assessment, SPO has identified vulnerable families in these districts, which need to be rehabilitated instantly as most of males and females faced difficulties after losing their traditional source of income.
They originally belong to sharecroppers and daily wage earners in agriculture fields. After imposing lockdown, majority of the workers compelled to stay idle at home and experienced problems.
It was observed that women workers were in highly vulnerable condition due to loss of livelihood of their males. The economic burden has further curtailed the women's support to health services, and their daily needs. Therefore, a subsistence allowance was proposed to disburse amongst the most vulnerable women, including women-led households.
Pirbhu Satyani, regional head SPO Hyderabad said they have taken initiative with the support of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to help poor families in these three districts of the province, aiming to rehabilitate them at the face of Covid 19.
These skilled women may continue designing such clothes and products, which have a demand in local as well as in urban market.
Besides, village families a small number of sanitary workers, the most marginalized community will also be accommodated to have this benefit, food ration packs and safety kits to live safe at the face of pandemic, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020