Women being awarded by Mr. Prasanta Chandra, Managing Director, PC Chandra Group
On International Women’s Day, renowned Jewellery brand P C Chandra Jewellers felicitated five women ‘ecopreneurs’, who were trained under Green Colleges run by Welthungerhilfe’s partner DRCSC in Jhargram and Purulia.
The programme was organised by an advertising agency LINK UP in collaboration with Rotary Sonar Kolkata and DRCSC. The event celebrated women, who have established themselves in their respective fields. The awards were handed out to Mrs. Padmabati Mandi of Bankura, Ms. Sankari Jana and Ms. Dolon Bera of Sabang, Paschim Medinipur, Mrs. Rina Mondal of Gonjo Tant Kendra DWCRA Group of Bagnan, Howrah as well as the Amarda Progressive Mahila Mat Unit of Paschim Medinipur.
Women achievers with their awards
The money will be utilized for the further expansion of the self-employed units, established by these five achievers. “I’ll use the money to get a biogas unit installed at my home and to get my field’s dug well repaired,” said Padmabati, a small holder from Bankura, who practices sustainable integrated farming systems, following a training. For the Amarda Progressive Mahila Mat, specializes in making mat sticks products, the money will help in procuring more resources. They will spend the money in buying a sewing machine for Piko, a weaver machine and also the raw material.
The Green College Initiative is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The Rural Skills Development initiative train rural youth in green trades, combining traditional wisdom with scientific techniques to help them become ‘ecopreneurs’ and to enable them to have better access to technology, finances and market. Currently, the programme has been implemented in the states of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
