PROJECT NO.1184
EMPOWERING MOTHERS OF THE DISABLED FOR PARTNERSHIP
In two Self Help Groups in our two target areas of Dakshinpuri and Dwarka we have a total of sixteen women and ten adult mentally handicapped boys.
THE SPICE UNIT
In the Dwarka Center we have six women and they make spices which is then sold and the income goes back to these women. The spices are bought at whole sale rates from the markets ,then washed , dried, powdered, packed and sold within the community itself. We have been able to make a gradual increase in sales and have a few permanent customers who are discerning and appreciate quality .It is a well known fact in Delhi and even reported in the Newspapers that all the spices available are adulterated. we market it with the slogan “100 % pure spices” and people have gradually come to realize this.
Tuhina from the British Airways headquarters in New Delhi has been of enormous support and instrumental in marketing our spices every month in BA office premises. The Japanese Womens Volunteer Group similarly have become friends and partners and we sell our spices through the Japanese Department Store called YAMA TOYA MA .Both these outlets bring in a good income but we need to reach out to more permanent customers and make the venture profitable.
Hitherto ,our lack of marketing expertise made profit difficult a. Also the fact that we initiated the Empowerment Service only as a means to provide mothers and women from target communities with skills and training so that they can set up shop on their own and had no ambitions of making it a profit making venture . But we find that customers are beginning to ask for our Spices mainly because they are so pure . We have realized the potential in planned marketing and obviously if we make a profit the women will gain .So, we have newly appointed a young graduate with a degree in Marketing and food technology and things are changing .We have increased the number of spices e make and introduced more variety .Packaging has improved as well.
Previously the mothers and women were on a daily wage basis but now get about Rs 1500 per month which though it is only about 37 U.S $ provides extra income for the family .Particularity women with alcoholic and /or unemployed husbands find the income they make from the spices great help. We hope to be bale to report an increase in sales in our next report and increased benefits to the mothers and women.
We envisage increasing the number of women/mothers in the Spice Unit but it depends to a large extant on our sales .We see the need to get someone to help us export our spices .
THE PAPIER MACHE HANDICRAFTS UNIT
In Dakshinpuri the Self Help Group makes pappier mache handicraft items. Like the spices ,these are sold at carnivals and during festival times and the income goes to the women. Ten adult mentally handicapped persons are members of this unit and earn equally .A task analysis was done to link physical and mental abilities with the requirements of the job at hand. Thus the most strenuous but the most necessary is the initial soaking and pulping of newspapers , which is done by a severely mentally handicapped young man. The less demanding jobs and those needing less hand eye coordination are done by the mentally handicapped and the more delicate painting and molding jobs are done by the women and the mothers.
The handicrafts that sell most are peacocks, elephants , parrots and decorative hangings for the festival of lights (Diwali) and Christmas . The women have been given the entire responsibility of purchasing raw material, collecting newspapers, designing items and selling the handicrafts at carnivals as do the women in the Spices unit.
The Self Help Group here also makes laddoos , a sweet made out of Soy bean, wheat and peanuts and bound together with Burra Sugar , which is like jaggery (molasses ?).It was developed by a nutritionist as a supplement to the undernourished children who come to our center since it is high in protein content. However it tastes so delicious that we also market it and sell it along with the pappier mache and spices .