Noor (name changed) has found new purpose in life. After dealing with psychological issues for a long time, she has picked the pieces of her life and started anew. With support from her husband, she runs a small business from home making denim bags for a living. She is a beneficiary of the denim project of A Hundred Hands, an NGO that supports and promotes handmade arts and crafts.
Started a few year ago in association with NIMHANS Rehabilitation Centre, the denim project trains patients at the tailoring unit and gives them an opportunity to earn a livelihood.
“We met a patient who was attending counselling sessions at the centre. Her husband brought her a sewing machine and she started making denim bags at home. We wanted to support her and have been passing on orders to her. More than the money, it has helped her regain self-confidence,” says Mala Dhawan, founder of A Hundred Hands.
Hunt for fresh ideas
The NGO was approached by NIMHANS in 2012 to bring in fresh ideas to the tailoring unit that was making gowns and curtains for the rehabilitation centre. “We suggested denim bags and the officials were interested,” adds Ms. Dhawan, who runs the project along with her sister Sonia.
“We post our requirement on the Facebook page and interested people, mostly students, join as volunteers to collect old jeans. Some student volunteers also help by selling the bags at their college festivals,” Ms. Dhawan says.
At NIMHANS, the jeans are given to the tailoring unit where patients convert them into simple but trendy bags. “Work is given based on the capability of the patients. Some wash the jeans, some cut it, and others do the stitching. It is part of vocational training. Sometimes we get 25 bags and sometimes just two. But, at NIMHANS it is not about numbers,” says Ms. Sonia.
As the project gained popularity through word-of-mouth, the NGO was approached by other State-run institutions.
No wastage
“We have been supporting eight groups through the denim project. The Sandur Lambani community in Ballari, for instance, does embroidery on the bags they make. We don’t waste any part of the jeans. Bits and pieces are send to a self-help group in north Karnataka, which uses them for patchwork. We have tied up with a maker of juttis (traditional footwear) from Haryana. We supply jeans. he makes juttis out of it, and we market it here,” says Ms. Dhawan.
“We are trying to get in touch with retailers. We require volunteers to collect donated jeans. We also require designers who can keep innovating with the products,” adds Ms. Sonia.
For people like Noor, the project has given them a sense of purpose and independence.
