The Prathima Foundation and Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Karimnagar have embarked on an ambitious programme of distributing one crore face masks to protect rural masses from the deadly coronavirus. At the same time, it aims to support several hundreds of women SHG members and tailors secure employment during this lockdown period.
Several tailors who were displaced following the lockdown and women SHG members of Karimnagar, Adilabad and Warangal districts are securing employment and supporting their family financially during this lockdown period. Each woman and tailor is earning anywhere between ₹ 350 to ₹ 500 per day by stitching face masks.
PIMS chairman Boinapalli Srinivasa Rao and Prathima Foundation founder Dr. B Harini conceived the idea of distributing face masks to the rural masses as masks are not available there and they cannot afford to purchase them also.
Accordingly, they specially designed the three-layered reusable face mask measuring 7x8 inches size with two tieable laces and made with high-quality poly cotton cloth for easy breathing and long life.
The foundation authorities are purchasing each mask for ₹ 35 and the tailors and the SHG women are procuring the poly-cotton cloth from Hyderabad. The tailor or SHG member would earn ₹ 5 per mask after stitching and packing in pollution-free paper bags.
About 125 volunteers of PIMS collect the masks from the women groups and tailors and distribute the same to the villagers in PIMS ambulances along with pamphlets on dos and don’ts about the deadly virus. Already, they had distributed 25 lakh masks in three districts.
They had also set up a helpline call centre at PIMS to receive calls from villagers for the supply of masks with the consent of sarpanch.
Padmavati, a tailoring cooperative society leader, said that she feels proud to be part of a fight against the deadly virus and provide employment to women tailors by stitching masks. She said that each person was earning ₹ 500 per day by stitching 100 masks.
A representative of Prathima Foundation said, “Our motto is to see that the rural people also wear masks, which is mandatory and also provide livelihood support to BPL people during this lockdown period.”