Monday, 16 May 2016

Why mothers prefer handmade clothes for babies?


Handmade Weavers of India | Image Resource : Curiotown.com
 
The soft, sensitive skin of babies is often highly vulnerable to rashes and allergies caused by wearing synthetic, machine-made clothes. Therefore, young mothers are very particular about the type of clothes that they select for their children. In recent times, handmade clothes for babies have gained high popularity among parents looking for an outfit for their young ones.

Here are some of the major reasons why handmade Indian clothes are highly preferred by mothers for their young ones:-

Handmade clothes are skin-friendly

Handmade clothes are made from natural fabrics such as silk and cotton, which are light, highly breathable and friendly to the soft, sensitive skin of the children. Therefore, kids can feel comfortable while wearing these outfits and stay safe from rashes and skin problems, which they may suffer from by wearing machine-made clothes. Babies can, therefore, wear these clothes for long hours without facing any type of skin irritation.

Use of natural dyes

The dyes that are used in clothes that are created by handmade weavers of India are derived from plants and vegetable extracts. They are free from the use of toxic chemicals that are used on a large scale in dyes for machine-made clothes. Thus, they can retain their color over a long period of time as compared to machine made apparels whose colors often fade over a period of time.

Long durability

Handmade clothes available online have a longer life span as compared to machine made apparels. They are created with meticulous precision by expert weavers who are highly skilled in creating intricate embroidery and prints on the apparels made for babies. Handlooms based in different parts of the country have started producing organic clothes that can be used regularly. They have lesser chances of getting torn as compared to machine made clothes that last only for a season or two. Hence, these clothes can be worn by babies over a number of years.

Low level of maintenance

Handmade clothes made from fabrics such as cotton do not need to be machine washed on a daily basis. This is not the case with machine made clothes that need to be washed after being worn once or twice. So, young mothers can make substantial savings in time as well as money as they won’t have to wash their children’s clothes daily. Neither will they need to send them for dry-cleaning to the laundry.

Tuesday, 10 May 2016

What does the Livelihood Training Center in Mumbai Do?

Unemployment and underemployment are some of the most common problems that are faced by the urban poor in India. The lack of formal education and requisite skills to have a stable source of income are some of the major reasons for their grinding poverty.  The ever-widening gap between the rich and poor has been a major cause of concern not just for the government, but among social activists and economists as well. To help them come out from the vicious cycle of poverty, NGOs have come up with a number of livelihood training programs for underprivileged.



 Livelihood Training for Underprivileged | Image Resource : tkf.org.in


Here are some of the features of the livelihood training programs that are offered by them: -

Vocational training programs

Vocational training programs are meant to offer people with skills such as carpentry, weaving, handicraft making etc. in order to help them acquire a sustainable source of livelihood. Livelihood training centers in Mumbai offer these skill-based programs to people from vulnerable sections who do not have the basic means necessary in order to have a stable source of income. By providing them with the skills required to pursue a specific vocation, NGOs help in the upliftment of people living in the slums and shanties of major cities such as Mumbai. As a result, they are able to support their families in a better way. This, in the long run, helps in poverty alleviation among the urban poor.

Tie-up with major financial institutions

NGOs with a good presence across different parts of the country have tie-ups with banks through which they offer loans at reasonable rates of interest to self-help groups in urban areas. As a result, people from impoverished backgrounds can set up their own small businesses and gain freedom from the life of absolute poverty. Such programs have been known to help reduce poverty among marginalized sections of the society, not just in India but other developing countries around the world as well.

The term and conditions laid down by the banks to applicants are devised keeping in consideration their present socioeconomic condition. The easy repayment schemes make it possible for them to pay for their loan without having to undergo too much of an economic hardship. Such programs have been instrumental in bringing about socio-economic upliftment of thousands of people living in the slums and shanties of the major cities in India.