Bhubaneswar: Six differently-abled tribal girls from different parts of the state — despite their own struggles in their lives and in the fight against existing stereotypes — are now setting example for others on how to become successful entrepreneurs.
In their fight to establish their own niche in the state, the women group has been working hard at their one-room accommodation-cum-workshop to produce cushions and other productive items to be self dependent and also provide work opportunities to others.
The tribal girls— after been trained from different institutions and their meeting at the National Career Service Centre for the Differently Able (NCSCDA), Bhubaneswar during their skill training session— planned to embark on their journey to carve out their own path to success.
Two years after starting their venture, the group has now been able to do business worth Rs 1 lakh per month by selling their products in the market. They sell their wares in exhibitions and tribal marketing stores like ORMAS.
They recently received the award of excellence in entrepreunship skills at the National Level Pallishree Mela at Rourkela.
However the journey had never been easy, the girls say. “We passed out from NCSCDA. Everyone other than the organization, our friends and some government officials, discouraged us from venturing into business. Most had apprehensions about the sustainability of our plans. But now we are into this business and have plans to expand it,” Ambarika Tesaswi, a tribal girl from Koraput district told Orissa POST.
Another member from the group, Narmada Singh from Kandhamal district said, “Many of us got training in tailoring, cushion making and others but the final business idea hit us when six like-minded people came together for this despite challenges galore.”
The group, however, is suffering from a space crunch and looking for government support. “We all live in a single room and also work in the same room. We are now looking for a working room and have approached government offices for assistance. If we get the required support, we can expand our business and make other products too,” said Anusiya Gamongo, another member of the group from Gajapati district.
The group now plans to even use their hard-earned money to get good trainers and hire others to expand their budding business. “The best thing about our team was that we never lost hope in the last two years. In fact, we are more enthusiastic now,” added Anusiya.
The members from the team— Basanti Pradhan (Phulwani), Jyotsna Singh (Kandhamal) and Geeta Jena (Rourkela)—have big plans in the days to come and prove their worth in the society.