Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti (PSSS), India
Quilts and cushion covers
…for Lovethatstuff, Purkal have made some wonderful quilts, yoga mat bags, tea cosies and girls’ dresses as a result of a visit to their workshop in 2014…
Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti (PSSS) are a non-profit organization founded to empower disadvantaged, rural women in one of the villages outside Dehradun in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Many families in the area lack basic education and skills, and suffer from various cultural and social problems which keep them locked in a continuous cycle of poverty.
So, PSSS aim to develop the women’s entrepreneurial skills so that they can earn a living, and eventually manage a business and maximize their income.
For Lovethatstuff, Purkal have made some wonderful quilts, yoga mat bags, tea cosies and girls’ dresses as a result of a visit to their workshop in 2014. I was so impressed by their skills that I placed an order straightaway.
The founder of the organization Chinni Swarmy, explained that she started by training just one of the local women to make a bedspread for her sister and this started off the whole project.
All the women have skills training and a nice, well equipped workshop, where they make beautiful products for the home.
More than 125 women currently work under the umbrella of the Stree Shakti brand and apart from the workshop, there is a crèche which also provides preschool education to over 50 of their children. Purkal have encouraged SHGs or Self Help Groups to form where a maximum of ten women join together to sell their products, pool resources and pay themselves.
The PSS Society helps them set up two bank accounts: one is a business account and the second a savings account. The savings account is useful for costs such as paying school fees, repairs to their homes and medical costs.