First in State: Skill development centre for women set up in city mosque

Hyderabad: In a first of its kind, Helping Hand Foundation, city-based healthcare NGO, in collaboration with SEED-USA, has set up an Integrated Community Development Centre for Women by bringing together health, skill development and empowerment under one roof. This has been done in Masjid-e-Mohammed Mustafa in Rajendranagar.

According to HHF, the new skill development centre and the women's clinic are under almost the same roof. The clinic has not only provides good quality primary health care, but also does ante natal, dental, opthal and weight loss and wellness for women catering to about 93,000 patients in over the last three years, translating into an out-of-pocket expense of nearly Rs 5 crore. Despite free health care, the overall socio-economic condition of women hasn't significantly improved, according to the survey done by HHF in that area.

"With the Covid pandemic making things worse for daily wagers in the past two years, nearly 43 per cent of households surveyed in and around a vicinity of 5,000 sq. km of the mosque clinic said they need additional sources of income to supplement the household earnings," said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF.

HHF and SEED-USA have set up a full-fledged skill development centre for women, that will help those from economically weaker sections to upskill in multiple areas, like stitching, embroidery, mehandi designing, cooking. "Each of these up-skills are likely to empower women to earn Rs 8,000-10,000 a month that will significantly enhance the household income of a family," said Afshan Askari, trustee.

She said that with community development in focus, on the one hand free health care to women is being translated into a saving of Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 a month and on the same lines, empowering them to earn another Rs 8,000-10,000 is very likely to have a significant impact on their future earnings and improve social indices.

At the centre over 75 women have enrolled in stitching and embroidery, 50 in mehandi designing and 45 in beautician courses so far. The training will be given over a period of 3-6 months. In about a year a minimum of 450-500 women would have up-skilled to earn a better living.