People

Lakkavaram Village: An Epitome Of Women Empowerment In Pandemic | The National TV

by Suramya-Kaushik
May 21, 2020 12:25

https://f002.backblazeb2.com/b2api/v1/b2_download_file_by_id?fileId=4_za8a2358db1d7f91b68b30916_f110e64c457551e78_d20200521_m065516_c002_v0001139_t0043

When the nation was suffering from corona, when the nation had no proper medical infrastructure to fight corona and when doctors had no proper equipment to protect themselves and when many daily wage workers lost their jobs, at that time the women of Lakkavaram village in Andhra Pradesh stood up and became an inspiration for all. 200 women of Lakkavaram village are now producing PPE kits for the country.

They are producing masks, shoe covers, and lab coats in bulk so that they can feed themselves and their family along with the dedication to serve the country in times of need. They are producing these items in bulk and are supplying it to the state government. Each day, they produce 15,000 masks, 6,000 shoe covers, and 5,000 lab coats. This makes them earn Rs. 500 per day that helps them feed their family in the times where thousands have lost their job and work.

It was the crisis that drove these women to join the fight against COVID-19. A few weeks ago, a tailoring unit from in the East Godavari region took consignment from the state government to produce PPEs. It was then they all came together to produce the protective gear. In the lockdown, menfolk of their village lost jobs and work which made these women take upfront to earn for the family. According to a report of NDTV, Jyoti, a worker in the tailoring unit says, “My father has a fruits business, which was shut due to lockdown. We were dependant on him to run the house.” However, some 40 days back Jyoti decided to join the tailoring unit and now she runs the household. Another worker, Madhvi says that her father is a daily wage worker and the whole family was totally dependent on him. But after the lockdown, it’s the tailoring unit that runs their life.

This tailoring unit became functional just a year ago due to the efforts of an NGO, ‘1M1B’. 1M1B’s founder, Manav Subodh says, “Many daily wage workers have lost their jobs, and these women already had the skills of stitching and tailoring. Most of these women are extremely poor and even their husbands have lost their jobs. So the women are not only earning, but they are also providing PPEs for frontline workers”. This has set an example for all those people who say that women in the village are submissive and do not have the talent to run a house. This clearly indicates that when all menfolk lost their jobs, it’s women who came in front to run their household by not only feeding the family and oneself but also by helping the country to fight the pandemic.