Tailoring Skills for 50 Girls in Kolkata, India

A Sewing Machine, A New Beginning: Rubia’s Journey Towards Independence

Rubia, a 20-year-old young woman from a vulnerable community in Kolkata, is building a small but meaningful livelihood with a skill she learned through Tiljala SHED. Rubia completed Class XI but had to discontinue her formal education after facing difficulties in Class XII. With limited opportunities available to her, she decided to learn tailoring so that she could earn from home and contribute to her family.

Through its livelihood programme, Tiljala SHED provided Rubia with tailoring training and a sewing machine. Today, that sewing machine has become much more than a household possession—it has become her means of earning and a source of confidence. Rubia stitches clothes for women in her neighbourhood from her home. She charges around 120 (approximately US$1.26) per suit, keeping her rates affordable because many women in her community also have limited incomes and do their work from home. Through her tailoring work, Rubia now earns approximately 1,500–2,000 (about US$15.71–US$20.94) per month.

For Rubia, this income may seem modest, but within her family it makes a real difference. She uses what she earns to meet small day-to-day expenses and also helps her mother whenever she can. Her earnings give her a sense of dignity and independence and, most importantly, the confidence that she can contribute to her family’s wellbeing through her own hard work.

Rubia lives with her parents and younger brother. Her father, Firoj, works as a labourer and earns approximately 9,000 (about US$94.24) per month, while her mother, Baby, is a homemaker. Rubia’s elder sister is married. Her younger brother, Rohit, is 18 years old and has studied up to Class VI. He currently works in a shop and earns around 3,500 (approximately US$36.65) per month. The family manages its household on these limited incomes, making every additional contribution important.

Rubia’s journey shows how a livelihood intervention can create change even through something as simple as a sewing machine. The support she received has enabled her to transform a newly acquired skill into a source of income while working from home. Each piece of clothing she stitches represents not only an earning opportunity but also a step towards greater self-reliance.

Rubia now hopes to receive more orders, strengthen her tailoring skills and gradually increase her income. With continued encouragement and access to livelihood opportunities, she can build a more stable home-based enterprise and move towards greater economic independence.

For Rubia, empowerment began with a skill, a sewing machine and an opportunity. What may look like a small income today is a meaningful first step towards a more secure and independent future.