In leveraging our proprietary technology platform, Locofast is steadfast in our commitment to helping solve the many challenges of the textile supply chain in India. In simplifying the textile procurement process by connecting our customers to partners, Locofast has empowered small and medium enterprises across the country by providing them consistent business opportunities at fair prices. However, we firmly believe that our social responsibility extends beyond this simple gesture. To make a difference, it is imperative that we engage with the people of the industry at a grassroot level, listen and address their concerns, and educate and equip them with technical skills that will prepare them for the future.
It is keeping this in mind that on International Education Day, Locofast organized a two-day virtual, crocheting workshop for women tailors in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. In order to pull this through, Locofast collaborated with Mrida, a social entrepreneurship initiative, that aims to facilitate sustainable and scalable holistic development at the local level. Using agriculture, energy access, skill development, and health as interventions, they promote community engagement and livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and education.
It was through one such endeavor that Mrida came in contact with Aparajita Vikas Samuh, a self-help group based out of Faridapur, a rural village 10 kilometers away from Bareilly, where they set up a stitching center for women. Backed by Mrida, they have taught countless women how to stitch, and become financially independent. Now, the AVS product portfolio comprises textile offerings from apparel to lifestyle goods. The women there have attended various training and upskilling workshops to enhance the value of their work, and the center has become synonymous with growth, progress, and independence.
Given the history behind this center and its significance in the village, it was only fair that we, at Locofast, organize our debut collaborative event there. This is how 15 women from the village convened at the center consecutively on two cold January mornings to learn something new and celebrate, with body and spirit, the power of knowledge. Equipped with crocheting needles and yarn that Locofast provided to the AVS team, the sessions were conducted by Dr. Jyoti Gupta, professor at the Indian School of Home Sciences, New Delhi, who generously agreed to oversee the workshop in its entirety. The women’s enthusiasm, coupled with Dr. Gupta’s expert guidance, the workshop was a resounding success. In the two days, the women were not only taught crocheting and the different techniques one can master in order to make garments, but they were also taught how they can capitalize on these skills further.
For us at Locofast, organizing this workshop has been an incredible learning experience. We were enthralled and delighted by the extremely positive response to this initiative, and are reinvigorated in our commitment to bringing about social change in the textile industry at the grassroots level. Needless to say, this workshop is going to be the first of many more to come this year!
Learn more about what Locofast is doing to fulfill its duty towards a sustainable future of our generation and the next.