St Xavier's University in New Town is providing hands-on tailoring training to rural women to empower them and gradually uplift their economic condition.
A group of 15 women from three villages about 5km from the university are part of the class now. They are undergoing training at a workshop for three hours every day from last week.
The 10-day workshop is an initiative of the Centre for Social Outreach (CSE), a unit of St Xavier's University, in association with Seva Kendra, an arm of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kolkata.
"We want to empower rural women. A university which is a temple of knowledge and is situated in a place like this should bring about changes in the neighbourhood," said Father Felix Raj, vice-chancellor, St Xavier's University.
The vice-chancellor said this project was only the beginning.
"There will be a follow-up training for the women in the villages."
The project was undertaken after conducting a survey in the area to understand what the women, who mostly have no source of income, do.
Another survey was conducted to see how many children have dropped out of school or college from the areas close to the university.
Trainers from Seva Kendra are conducting the workshop.
Each participant will be handed over a certificate and a sewing machine at the completion of the training programme.
The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company has sponsored the project.
Father Anthony Rodrigues, director, Seva Kendra and Subhasish De, regional manager, WBSEDCL, were present for the inaugural programme on the university campus.
The empowerment of women is part of a university-to-village and village-to-university programme.
The students go to the neighbouring villages in Rajarhat to teach the children and do some other work in the village as part of the undergraduate programme at St Xavier's University, Father Felix Raj said.
"They have to spend 60 hours in the villages during their undergraduate course," he said.
The university plans to set up a vocational training centre for rural women in the second phase of the programme, a university official said.
