Executive summaryKhwaab is a skill development centre which provides training on livelihood skills to underprivileged women living in urban slums. Khwaab believes in the power of a skilled and financially independent woman to secure her child’s education and improve her family’s standard of living.Khwaab identifies avenues where these women can market their products and add to their household income which can then be directed towards their child’s education and family welfare.It also imparts literacy training to the women in the form of English, Math and Computers and spreads awareness about social norms, rights and causes. This helps in developing the community women into responsible and active changemakers for the child, household and community.

Khwaab Welfare Trust was started under ‘Be the Change’ project by four ‘Teach for India’ fellows on 11th August 2014 and is currently in its second year of operations.

VisionFinancially empower unemployed and unskilled community women by imparting livelihood skills and channelizing a portion of their earnings towards their child’s education.

Founders

Our StoryWhile on a community visit we saw one of our students running in a beautiful peach coloured salwar khameez. When we asked the mother where she bought it from she said “Yeh tho meine banaya hai” (I have made this). We walked further met more mothers. Heard about their dreams, their frustrations of being bound down to the four walls, them being dependent on their husbands financially and them not being able to contribute to their child’s education. As we moved from house to house we realized there lay huge potential hidden behind those doors that needed an opportunity to break free. We connected the dots and came up with an idea of making these mothers financially independent by providing them with livelihood skills. These skills would lead to employability and help them channelize their earnings towards their child’s education.

V.SHRUTIBBS, College of Business StudiesFellow, Teach for India Program Manager, Teach for India.

CHANDA JAINBBS, College of Business StudiesFellow, Teach for India Associate ,Swaniti Initiative.

YASH WARRIERBBA,Christ College BangaloreFellow, Teach for India Freelance content developer

POOJA CHOPRAEconomics Hons, Lady Shri Ram College Fellow, Teach for India MBA, Indian School of Business

Social impact summaryThe involvement of women in the workforce empowers the women and the community. An earning woman uses a larger percentage of her earnings towards child education and family welfare. Despite acknowledgement about the need for women to be in the workforce, the conditions are particularly dismal in India. The participation of women in the labour market is extremely low with total workforce participation rate of women being 25.5% (Census 2011) - in some parts of rural India this number can go as low as 10%. As per the Census of 2011, there has been no recorded increase in the workforce participation rate of women in the last decade.

As we glanced upon these figures, we understood the need for a societal intervention in the Mandawali community. A door-to-door survey taught us that there existed immense potential in every household as most of the women were semi-skilled in the art of tailoring. However, they had not directed their abilities to productive use because of the patriarchal structure of the society around them.

Skill Development16 community women have been trained in tailoring, knitting and craft products with the help of 2 community trainers. These skills have provided them the opportunity to become employable.

Community InvolvementKhwaab started with 10 women and has doubled the impact by attracting other community women to learn the skills.

Financial IndependenceKhwaab women are generating earnings by selling festive products in exhibitions and corporate stalls. They have also been able to save income earlier spent on tailoring

HouseholdKhwaab women are investing their current earnings towards their child’s education and also to meet basic needs like a mobile phone to stay connected. Khwaab has ensured each woman has a bank account which is a step towards increasing savings.

Child Well-BeingKhwaab impacts community children in a dual way. Firstly Khwaab women are more invested in their child’s education due to education workshops. Secondly Khwaab also serves as a learning centre for community children.

AwarenessWorkshops on sanitation, savings, education, personal development and community building has made Khwaab women aware and inspired them to drive change.

Khwaab

Skill DevelopmentKhwaab skill development centre started with providing training in tailoring with the help of two community trainers. The women underwent a six months training on tailoring basics post which they moved into using the skills to develop products. Through the development process we realized the need for training the women in a variety of skills to ensure year round production of different seasonal and festive products. Khwaab women are currently trained in 5 skills – tailoring, knitting, candle making, dreamcatchers and Shibori. Tailoring and Shibori brings year-long demand whereas knitting and candle making help in bringing seasonal demand. Dreamcatchers is a niche market which we are exploring through online marketing.

TRAINING

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