Officials along with the trainees during the handing over ceremony for trainees under the USHA Silai School initiative at St Mary’s School in Lozaphuhu village in Phek on May 20.
Phek, May 21 (MExN): The ANMA Integrated Development Association (AIDA) on May 20 organised a handing over ceremony for trainees under the USHA Silai School initiative at St Mary’s School in Lozaphuhu village of Nagaland’s Phek district.
The programme marked the completion of a nine-day vocational training initiative aimed at empowering rural women through skill development and livelihood generation.
Under the initiative, 15 women from 15 different villages underwent intensive training from May 13 to 21, comprising 90 hours of practical instruction in tailoring, stitching, embroidery, repairing and mechanical operations of sewing machines.
As part of the programme, each trainee was handed a sewing machine to support self-employment and livelihood opportunities.
The event was attended by Pritpal Kaur Batra, Superintendent of Police of Phek district, as the special guest, while Roy George, Executive Director and Chief Functionary of AIDA, and Anna Lungbila Bibiana were guests of honour.
Addressing the gathering, Batra highlighted the role of skill development in women’s empowerment and dignity.
Quoting Proverbs 31:25 — “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” — she said women should be empowered with confidence, integrity and discipline in addition to vocational skills.
Recalling her childhood experience of wearing uniforms stitched by her mother on an Usha sewing machine, Batra said tailoring “stitches confidence, dignity, identity, creativity and personality”.
She encouraged the trainees to view tailoring not merely as a means of income generation but as a tool for transforming lives and communities.
Batra also advised the women to brand their tailoring units, use social media to market their products, understand customer preferences and remain updated with modern designs.
She urged them to form self-help groups, open savings accounts, start recurring deposits and make use of government livelihood schemes.
“Your beginning may be small, but your future can become great,” she told the trainees.
Speaking on the occasion, Roy George congratulated the trainees on completing the programme and encouraged them to use their skills to create sustainable livelihood opportunities. He emphasised the importance of regular practice and urged participants to share their knowledge with others in their communities.
The programme began with an invocation by Francis and a welcome address by Sivi George. The event also featured trainee presentations, interactive sessions and the formal handover of sewing machines.
The organisers expressed appreciation to St Mary’s Church, the Lozaphuhu Youth Organisation, village authorities and community members for their support in conducting the programme.
