CRS has been working in Mahamaya, a small village in the 24 South Parganas district of West Bengal about two hours’ drive south from Kolkata, since 2012.
A training session was held recently on garment making, giving women who attend the CRS women’s empowerment programme in the village, new skills and the chance to practice making clothing items on sewing machines.
A group of women subsequently travelled into the city for a day’s training on quality control. At the Nari Dana Production Centre they learned how to sew and embroider products with precision, and how to ensure conformity of quality and style.
CRS is currently raising funds to complete construction of a multi-purpose building in Mahamaya and expand activities there.
The ground floor is already in existence, used as a school in the morning and by women’s groups the afternoon.
The vision is to have three floors to accommodate the school, a medical clinic, and a workspace for the women to make products
CRS welcomed visitors from the Council of World Mission in June. They visited the projects at Dum Dum and Sukantanagar, as well as the Nari Dana production centre.
Rig David, Director of CRS, together with Rt. Rev. Ashoke Biswas, the Bishop of Kolkata, who serves as the Chair of CRS, and Rev. Abir Adhikari, Presbyter of St Paul’s Cathedral and Vice Chair of CRS, were invite to visit Canada by Archbishop Melissa Skelton of the Diocese of New Westminster in British Columbia.
Larsen & Toubro, the company that supports women’s skill training as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programme, conducted an annual audit in April, speaking with beneficiaries and examining their work.
In April, the Nari Dana Production Centre welcomed visitors from Canada – Kevin Dixon, the Vice-President of Operations at International Justice Mission Canada, a global organization dedicated to protecting the poor from violence throughout the developing world.