Tailoring and embroidery is the most popular skill development programme for girls and women at CRS centres. Courses run every year from April through to March. On 17th March, 125 students from six different CRS centres in Kolkata gathered together in the portico of St Paul’s Cathedral for their end of year evaluation. Over four hours, the students had to complete a series of tasks to demonstrate skills they had learned during their course. This included embroidering a flower; demonstrating hemming, darning, and picot stitch along the edge of cloth; and measuring, cutting and stitching a shirt and a bag. An external evaluator from a government training institution reviewed the practical work completed on the day, as well as the portfolios of work completed throughout the year. The students were presented with their results and a certificate of completion by senior representatives from Larsen & Toubro, the company providing support for part of women’s empowerment programme.
