When you live miles away from home, the sheer joy of devouring a home cooked meal is beyond imagination. One rural NGO is providing this utmost happiness and warmth to souls surviving away from their hometowns by making and delivering homemade khakhras.
Chaakri – Sa’Ni’Sa Ngo’s first brand is a savory snack making unit which ensures a source of income for women. Unlike women in the rural areas in the rest of the country, those living in Sudhagad Taluka in Raigad lacked a specialized local skill to turn into entrepreneurial success. The head of the unit decided to tap the most common and inherent skill of most these women – the art of making perfectly round rotis.
Started as a smaller unit for just 10- 15 women, Chaakri has now employed around 50 women aged 18 – 45 making 75 kilograms of khakhras every day. With eight to ten days of training before beginning the work, these women are paid daily wages. Sold in various Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat, Bangalore and Daman. Sa’ Ni’ Sa’s khakharas have a global presence and are also available in various stores in United States, Dubai and will soon hit the shelves in Singapore too.
Apart from helping women with a steady source of income, Chaakri has transformed the lives of women in Sudhagad by providing intensive education programmes and health programmes about the importance and need of personal hygiene and encouraging young girls to study further. Giving the women a means to earn with dignity and learn further, In 2007, the unit diversified into another initiative ‘Udaan’ with the aim to develop the craft skills of tribal women. And today these women create a wide hand of handmade and handcrafted products helping women progress not just socio-economically but also in terms of self-reliance.
Sa’Ni’Sa also conducts various medical camps for women as well as their families and educates them about the various government schemes.
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