Lending a human touch

Laxmi Ben – our chief designer

Laxmi Ben is an active member of Okhai. She has been associated with the handicrafts project since the last 8 years. Her skills in designing and colour patterns were identified by project functionaries who helped her become an expert in designing. Now Laxmi Ben earns an income of Rs1,500- 2,000 per month through designing and cutting of handicrafts products.

Owning a pucca house at Arambhda gives Laxmi Ben an immense sense of satisfaction. And she says with pride that she pays the interest for the loan she took from the SHG for building the house. With the income earned from the handicraft project, Laxmi Ben saves enough to pay the loan. She also manages to pay for her children's education apart from helping her husband with managing the household ration.

Rami Ben – empowerment personified

Rami Ben has been an active member of the Okhai family since years. Her day starts at 5am. Quickly completing her household tasks, she marches towards the Okhai centre at Mithapur. There she joins a team of other 10 Okhai members who contribute their skills towards product designing and development.

She has been actively contributing towards product development by introducing new designs. Earning an income of Rs2,500 per month, Rami Ben has started making her own house. She took a loan of Rs50,000 from her Self Help Group. With the income from Okhai, she plans to repay the loan. The illimitable energy levels of Rami Ben were also reflected on the International Women’s Day celebrations. She not only hosted the event in great style, but also motivated the participants with her great wit, which was always accompanied by a message.

She also enthusiastically promotes the concept of Okhai among new SHG members. Her positive attitude towards work has made her a brand ambassador of Okhai in the villages. A true achievement indeed.

Khatija Ben - charting her own destiny

Khatija Ben’s association with Okhai dates back to the days when Okhai was just learning to walk. She is the oldest member with the Okhai team and is proud to have seen Okhai move from one stage to another.

She is proud to be the head of Roshni Mahila Mandal, which got the best SHG award from Okhai on World Rural Women’s Day, also celebrated as Okhai Day. She has been instrumental in making this Mandal what it is today. She is the one who inspires women to make the best quality handicrafts and gets in discipline in the Mandal in terms of timely delivery of products.

Khatija Ben is a single parent of her only child. And the only earning member of the family. She comes down to the Okhai center at Mithapur every day. She is responsible for preparing working kits for the Okhai members at the village level. She ensures that each kit is prepared well containing the fabric, thread, mirrors etc. She is also in charge for quality control at the centre. Be it raw materials or finished goods, she ensures that it passes the quality parameters of Okhai.

She earns Rs2,500 monthly and, with this, is able to take care of her household expenses and her child’s education. Khatija Ben is ready to take in more responsibilities to make Okhai better each day. And she is eager to see Okhai reach great heights.

Sabhai Ben- a leader in making

When you first look at her, Sabhai Ben appears to be a timid person, but you have to listen to her speaking to the Okhai members to realise the truth in the age-old adage that looks can be deceptive.

The clarity and the confidence that her speech portrays will make the best orators shy. Sabhai Ben is a member of Okhai since the last 5 years. She has been the milk route coordinator for quite a long time. This role required her to travel to far off villages distributing work kits to the Okhai members. She had to explain to the members the designs, the quality parameters, the importance of meeting delivery timelines etc. She also maintained records for the members on their behalf. She did all of this with ease and a confidence that reflected her personality. She would explain to the new members the benefits of joining the programme and become a counsellor for the few of them.

Sabhai Ben earns a monthly income of Rs2,000 from the project. She is proud of the fact that she can utilise this money for her children’s education while also taking care of some household expenditure. Recently she has shifted her focus towards designing in which she is excelling. Sabhai Ben believes in sharing and has taught her skills to many new members at Okhai.

Zareena: An expert in her field

Zareena Kureishi can give any designer a run for their money. When the members of Okhai informed her about the month and a half long training at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) on cutting and stitching, she was more than delighted to grab this opportunity to enhance her skills.

Having gained expertise in making garments from NIFT, Zareena is all set to utilise her skills at Okhai. She is an active member of the tailoring unit of Okhai since the last 4 years. An asset for the tailoring unit, she also handles multiple roles. She is responsible for production planning at the unit, does quality control and ensures that the delivery deadlines are met.

She not only utilises her skills for making beautiful garments, but also trains new members with her newly acquired skills. She is excellent at motivating the team and is very excited about the advanced apparel making machines that Okhai is getting for the unit. She says with the best of the machines in place, the quality of the stitching will become at par with the best brands available in the country.