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Poverty has been a way of life for Suseela K from Kerala. Her parents were poor tribal who did odd jobs to take care of her and her brother. But she dreams of a better future for her two children and took to bamboo handicraft to ensure the same.

Suseela, (47) is from Kaniyambetta village of Wayanad in Kerala. She is a single mother with two children aged four and one-year-old. She stays with her brother and parents. To make ends meet her brother works as a loader in a wood mill while Suseela makes bamboo items.

She was detected with sickle cell anemia 17 years back. “I used to make and sell bamboo items. But then a local NGO taught me to make more bamboo products and gave employment,” she says. She learned to make pen stands, candy holders, spoons, forks, etc.

The NGO provides her work and pays her accordingly. She earns anywhere from Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 a month. “The work is based on orders received and is not consistent. We also participate in government exhibitions to sell our products,” she says. “But these exhibitions are held thrice a year.

Hence, I do not earn a salary every month,” she says.

Moreover, due to her ailment, she requires nutritious food and life-long medication. She faced difficult times during the COVID lockdown in 2019. “Everything was shut. There were no orders, no income. It was really difficult to make ends meet in those six to eight months,” she says.

Hence, when she was selected to participate in a skills training workshop for tribal Artisans organized by the Centre of Excellence, a joint venture of ASSOCHAM and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), she was thrilled. The artisans are trained to make new bamboo items that they can sell in the open market. This will ensure them to be financially independent.

“I am glad to be a part of this training workshop. We are taught new products like lampshades, egg holders, dream catchers, pen stands, and much more,” says Suseela. She hopes that this training will help her to earn a regular income.

Having a monthly salary is all the more important for her as she has young kids. “This vocation was not profitable before and I do not want my kids to have the same life as I did,” says Suseela. “I want to educate them and have a better life. After the training, I will work harder and ensure that they are well educated and fulfill their dreams,” she signs off.