At a time when Web-based start-ups are the talk of the town, a small group of students have jumped on the entrepreneurial bandwagon by showcasing their craftsmanship skills on the Net.
‘Achchamillai’, an online portal started by two fellows and teachers from the Teach for India programme, along with five girl students of classes VII and VIII from low-income schools in the city, has on sale, a collection of hand-crafted jewellery.
“The students come from underprivileged backgrounds and were greatly interested in arts and crafts. They wanted to make jewellery through quilling and we decided to involve them and their families, and support an entrepreneurial venture,” said Rahul Jayaprakash, a teacher and fellow of TFI from Shriram Matriculation School, Thiruneermalai, who initiated the venture along with another TFI fellow who teaches at a corporation school in the city.
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More than 100 pieces of the hand-crafted jewellery, made by the five girl students have been sold since ‘Achchamillai’ kickstarted in April. “We wanted to encourage the students to develop their skills and also help them earn additional income for their families. While they make earrings in their spare time as they pursue crafts as a hobby, we helped them set up the website,” Mr. Rahul explained. He said that they were tapping into the skills of the students and their value systems by encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit.
Archana Ramachandran, City Director, Teach for India, Chennai, said that such an initiative would help the community as a whole. “The children have shown the way forward. We’re looking at the possibility of taking the initiative forward as the children are keen on teaching other students and parents to make hand-crafted jewellery,” she said.