Hyderabad: NGO sets up tailoring centre for women in Old City

Hyderabad: While the Covid-induced lockdown blues shattered the fabric of hope essential for sustainable living among many entrepreneurs and individuals, some people and NGOs in the Old City find it an opportunity.

Anticipating growing demand of masks every year amid the de-escalation measures by the government giving the swelling virus cases, an NGO, Majlis-e-Quadria (MEQ), has opened a free tailoring centre at Bahadurpura to provide training to poor women and girls so to make them self-reliant in helming their families independently.

Inaugurated by Dr Sameena Basheer Quadri and Moulana Syed Taraq Quadri at a densely populated area of Fatima Nagar at Vattepally recently, the rented accommodation of two rooms and a hall comes as a new facility for women/girls to work in tandem where they learn preparing fabric craft masks, children's dress material and ladies suits under one roof.

According to Syed Musassir, the Director of MEO India and in-charge, the centre, runs under the patronage of Jalalat Al-Ilm Foundation, a non-profit organisation based at Chicago (USA) and certified by Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Explaining the training, Musassir said, "Under the supervision of well-trained instructors, women/girls of nearby houses are being coached to prepare masks and other dress material, having exceptional demand in the market."

Of the 110 students enrolled, he said, almost all are regularly undergoing training, which is divided into three shifts from 11 am to 5 pm. "Though we have a seating capacity of 120 students for the course of three months, the number has reached 110 soon after the centre's inauguration on January 15," explained Mudassir.

"For the students we arranged 16 sewing machines to allow the women/girls lay their hands on the machines following the theory process every day," he said, adding that "apart from offering certificates to all students, machines will also be provided to those who show acumen during the training. Seventy per cent are from poor backgrounds. While the household women join the training during the morning session, college students pursuing study join post-noon."