Download PDF file - ICICI Foundation

DevelopingsustainableLivelihoods“Our Family Income Will Increase 10 Fold”Every morning Reena, 20, and her two younger sistersSangeetha, 18, and Pooja, 16, walked two kilometresto the Forest Department’s community hall in Jhadoldistrict, Udaipur to train at the RSETI run Bamboo CraftWorkshop. The trio are currently learning to makebamboo nails, which are used in assembling bamboofurniture sets. The three sisters have already learnedhow to identify and sort bamboo and will soon betraining in the various processes involved in bamboofurniture making: bamboo treating, straightening, skinremoval, knot removal, assembly, polishing and painting.The sisters come from a family of seven and while theirfather works as a cleaner at the village Gram Panchayatoffice, his meagre ` 1,200 per month salary is notenough to meet the household expenses. “Ever sincewe started training at the Bamboo Craft Workshop, thefamily income has increased to ` 5,700 per month, witheach of us receiving a stipend of ` 1,500 per month astrainees. Once we complete our training we will eachearn ` 4,000 per month, increasing the total familyincome ten folds to about ` 12,000 per month. We alsohave the option of working from home,” says Reena,who now hopes to complete her college educationthrough distance learning while continuing to lendfinancial support to her family.Labourer to Master TrainerNathulal Damor, 55, spent two months away fromhis family to train as an artisan at the KONBAC site inKudal, Maharashtra, in the first batch of the RSETI runBamboo craft workshop. Having now completed histraining, he works at the workshop in Jhadol, earning` 4,000 per month.Nathulal says, “Before being recruited by KONBAC,I used to work as a labourer earning `100 per dayfor about 100 odd days a year. With about ` 10,000annual income I had to educate my two sons and fundmy household expenses, which was difficult at times.Now I feel happy that I have acquired a new skill andcan adequately support my family’s needs.”As Nathulal continues to elaborate on his success, hepats the back of his 19 year-old son Shankarlal Damor.Shankarlal is completing his 12th standard throughcorrespondence course and has decided to lend ahelping hand to the family. He has enrolled in the thirdbatch of bamboo craft training and is already earning` 1,500 per month.BambOO PRODUCt EnteRPRisePiloted by the Foundation, the Bamboo Product Enterpriseat Jhadol block in Udaipur district is an RSETI success story.Here we have integrated the philosophy of on-location trainingin locally-relevant skill sets, judicious use of local naturalresources and creation of new employment opportunities.A joint initiative of ICICI - RSETI, Udaipur, and Departmentof Forests Rajasthan, the programme seeks to providesustainable livelihood options in bamboo based enterprisesto the Kathodi tribe that constitutes 70% of the Jhadolblock population in Udaipur. The abundant naturally availablebamboo in the area makes this a viable livelihood option.The Bamboo Product Enterprise project aids artisans with itsthree main goals – training in bamboo product manufacturing,establishing production units and creating market linkages.The training programme aims to coach 50 tribal candidatesin manufacturing of various bamboo products such ashandicrafts, furniture, housing structures such as gazebos andtoys.Started in April 2012, the project kicked-off with an on-locationtwo-month training of 8 potential Master Artisan candidatesfrom within the community at the Konkan Bamboo and CaneDevelopment Centre (KONBAC), in Kudal, Sindhudurg district,Maharashtra. The candidates were developed as artisans forbamboo-based products and provided with all the resourcesneeded for bamboo processing and product development.The second phase of the project included the training of 18candidates as artisans at the Forest Range premises at Jhadolblock in Udaipur district.ICICI Foundation’s RSETI at Udaipur undertook the overallcoordination and monitoring of the project and the StateForest Department took responsibility for supportingcommunity mobilisation, procuring bamboo, and for providinga production unit for the trainings at the Forest Rangepremises.Master Artisans and subject matter experts from KONBACprovided technical support for the training and provided marketlinkages for selling the bamboo based products.MASOnARyCurrently a lot of construction activity is underway in Rajasthanincluding roads, buildings and infrastructure. Keeping in viewthis large demand, ICICI Foundation’s RSETI Udaipur hasstarted a masonry training course. This course touches uponall aspects of construction and will also help place newlytrained youth with local construction contractors and builders.To date, the RSETI has placed 350 youth at construction sitesin and around Rajasthan.An unskilled labourer earnsapproximately ` 100 per day but atrained mason can earn up to ` 300to ` 400 per day.28 29