“If you come to my village and ask my name, everyone knows me. I’m famous in my village. I have made a name for myself”, says Gowri of Andrahalli, beaming with pride. It’s no small feat for a woman of 35, who had to stop her education in 7th class and lost her parents early in life, to build her life in a way that she becomes a role model for others.
A few years ago, Gowri was working as a labourer in a local garment factory. “A full day’s hard work gave me just Rs 200. My husband is an auto driver and we struggled to make ends meet. I wanted this to change this and I decided to teach myself to become a tailor. I learned to stitch by removing the stitches of my blouses, followed the lines of the clothes to make cuttings on paper, and stitched new blouses. Today I can stitch clothes to perfection. I also picked up skills to become a beautician.”
When she came for Buzz India’s training, Gowri was tailoring and giving simple parlour services at her home. She had ideas to scale up and the training came at the right time to give her the courage to start a shop of her own. She cut her expenses, started saving money, started recording her income and expenses. This gave her the confidence that she can have control over her finances and taking a loan to start a shop will be a risk that she will be able to manage.
Soon her dream shop started becoming a reality. Gowri decorated it with great care. Within just one month, she started earning Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 every day. Apart from tailoring services, she also provides parlour and beautician services for her customers.
“My husband is proud of me. People look at me with respect. They give credit to the fact that I built it all by myself. I have never taken any formal training nor do I have any certificate to prove my skills. My biggest strength is my courage”, says this incredibly admirable woman.
Even if Gowri hadn’t attended Buzz India’s training, she would have definitely achieved great heights. Our happiness is that we were able to help her take a big leap in the course of her journey towards prosperity. We want to give women like Gowri opportunities that they truly deserve.