Educating the masses: Literacy Programme for tassel making women artisans & their families

To achieve it’s long term objective of sustainable artisan development, SETU has taken one step forward by initiating education of the artisans & their families. We believe that by getting educated, the artisans would be able to endow themselves a better life.. With this view, literacy classes were organised for the artisans and their children at Kaladera, Chomu, Jaipur.

These artisans/family members are working with SETU since past many years and are engaged in making tassels & jewelry from thread. Grass root level research was conducted about the artisan families, their current level of education, their living standard and interest areas. It came out of the research findings that many of them, especially girls are 8th or even lower standard school dropouts and have been away from education since a long time and have even forgotten what they had previously learnt.. while many women have never been to school at all. Hence whatever has to be done needs to be done from scratch!
The women were excited about the classes and said that they too want themselves & their children not only to be educated but to be able to speak in English..

The literacy program started on 15th of December 2014. A lady tutor has been appointed for the classes. The duration of the classes is 1.5 hours daily. A total of 30 participants including women artisans, school dropout girls and children enrolled for the classes. It was found that the quality of education in the schools where the children go to was not good enough and the kids needed additional help at home to cope up. And so the children were also enrolled for the literacy classes along with women.

The girls showing keen interest in the classes are aged between 14 and 22 years and had to earlier leave the studies due to lack of financial support.

The classes are running continuously since mid December and would go on as long as the participants wish to study. More and more women and girls want to join these classes, showing the success of the classes.