Archana women’s centre at Vettimukal near in Central is creating history of sorts. The centre trains women in masonry and other trades related to house construction. There are now over two thousand trained women masons in different districts of Kerala trained by the Archana Centre Over 2000 masons, 200 carpenters, 100 electricians and 50 plumbers trained by the Archana Women’s Centre are today involved in various construction-related work in different districts of Kerala.

Homemakers become House builders Reji Joseph

It is everyone’s dream to have a house of one’s in Kerala’s - “ Manava seva is Air India Express, why can’t others do smaller things training not only from local experts, but also from own, and that too, a safe one. But there are many Madhava seva” i.e. Service to Humanity is Service like building houses? Why can’t they earn as much as experts from abroad. It was Mauro Peppolino from who have to keep this wish as an unfulfilled dream. to God. men do? In fact women generally do more work Luxemburg who led the training in house wiring. Among the women who got trained in masonry at The training of women masons first started in than men and are more committed in their work. Wout Strallman from Holland gave advanced training Archana women’s centre, there are very few who Thrissur and The Jeevapoorna Women Mason’s Why should they earn less? Thresiamma questions in interior designing New technology and modern belong to this category. This is because they now Society was formed to bring together all the women this state of affairs and wants to ensure women’s machinery have added elegance and speed to the possess their own houses. And the beauty of it is that masons under one umbrella. The training soon spread dignity in sectors where they are ignored and looked carpentry division of Archana. Naturally there is high the women masons come together to build houses to Kollam, Alleppey and Kottayam (Thellakom) - down upon. It is this vision of hers that we see demand for these products. Good quality timber is for one another. In this way they recapture one of before establishing the centre at Vettimukal near reflected in the attitudes and standards of the life of directly purchased from Kerala Forest department. the long-lost social virtues of Kerala – that of caring . What Archana women’s centre offers is the women masons. Archana’s project coordinator, Shaiby Kuruvila, for and helping one’s neighbor. In less than three a three months training programme in Masonry, is a civil engineer and therefore quality assurance is a months they are able to finish a small house with carpentry, wiring and plumbing with stipend, followed -3- built in factor at Archana. The master trainers include two rooms and a kitchen. This is possible because by six months integrated training in these trades. How should women see themselves? How should Radhika Prasad, Valsala Thomas, Maya Kochumaon the building team consists of not only masons, but they manage their homes? How should they bring and Indhira. Archana’s office building is their also plumbers, carpenters and electricians. A truly -2- up their children? How should they keep themselves achievement as well as a demonstration of their self-sufficient, self-confident building team! The target group of women often consists of those safe? All these are aspects of the integrated training competence and reliability. The Archana women’s centre’s mission in this with below - matriculation education and the which the women of Archana get. Many eminent Some of the subsidiary programmes at Archana sector is not merely to enable women masons to challenge consists in taking them to levels above persons from different parts of the world have visited include making of solar lamps, waste management have their own houses but to help make them skilled mere brick -laying. They get trained in preparing the Archana women’s centre and admired the control, organic farming and tailoring. Mind power labourers who make a livelihood through masonry plans and estimates for the buildings that they are formation programmes and performance of those before hand power- this is part of Thresiamma’s and other related trades. The trained women were going to construct. This involves challenges and leads imparted training. Several of the women of Archana vision. Previously the workers uniform was a churidar once in the role of assisting male masons and earning to their getting to enhance their self-esteem, even had opportunity to travel by Air and go on with red check design; now it is pants and shirts, less than half of the wages of men. Now they have developing a sense of pride in their new found skills several study trips too. These excursions and which is more conducive to climbing scaffoldings developed in to masons themselves. Over 2000 etc. It involves attention to personality development, Women from ‘A to Z’. The centre is now the exposures are part of the integrated training package and doing hard physical labour. masons, 200 carpenters, 100 electricians and 50 behaviour, communication, group dynamics, authorized agency to give training to Kudumbasree which helps makes them more confident and capable. plumbers trained by the Archana Women’s Centre managerial skills, physical exercises, yoga, meditation personnel in construction related works. The The progress from the passive role of support workers A new face for Christian commitment are today involved in various construction-related etc. All this is wrapped together in the “Social Housing Board also seeks their services occasionally. on work site to that of a skilled worker equipped Thresiamma belongs to the Canada-based Secular work in different districts of Kerala. Training” that Thresiamma advocates as a “Must” With all these innovations, there is a change in the with engineering skills is a quantum jump. religious order known as the Oblate Missionaries Kerala is a state where skilled workers are in for the women to undergo before and along with old social perception that women are not reliable as Of Mary Immaculate. This committed group of short supply today. For a long time we have by and their skill training. No loose talk is permitted at the workers in the building sector, which has for long The tough journey women does not have any specific congregational large been depending on masons from Kanyakumari worksite. Nobody talks ill of anybody either. They been almost exclusively a male bastion. Obviously it was not easy when women started attire or symbols to wear. They dedicate themselves and other districts of Tamil Nadu for our masonry all learn to respect each other. They also never stand What the Oblate Missionaries of Mary replacing men and started laying bricks standing on to service by living among the people, merging with needs. The inflow of native women masons into this or sit idle once at the worksite. These are some of Immaculate have done through these pioneering tall scaffoldings. There were many to criticize and them, and at the same time maintaining their identity. sector is indeed a great relief. What is remarkable the elements of the work culture which Thresiamma efforts is to ensure equality for women in competence laugh at them. Most people were reluctant to call They are engaged in all walks of life. Thus today about it is the fact that this has not been a “smooth has inculcated in to the Archana Women’s brigade. as well as in wages and also make them self- women for hard masonry work because they were there are among them - teachers, Government inflow” for the women. It was in fact a sort of gate- No wonder these hard working, disciplined women dependent. Working with people in communities used to seeing them as the “weaker sex”. Gradually servants, Advocates, community organizers, skilled crashing into areas of male monopoly. Today these get wide acceptance wherever they go for work. and living with them in the villages as ordinary they came to realize the quality and commitment of trainers, office managers, post mistresses and many women earn the same wages as their male No trained worker should remain idle at home villagers, they are well aware of the diverse hardships the work undertaken by these women and the others. They have totally surrendered their lives to counterparts. Why not? Same work, same wages either. Thresiamma is very particular about this. On faced by women. It is this awareness coupled with stability of the products they produced. Today, God giving up family life, but they don’t use the title and same quality – sometimes even better! They account of the commitment and competence of these their commitment that made them start Archana as among the women of Archana, there are mothers “Sister”. have become admirable wage earners for their families. women workers, they are in high demand - even an innovative centre for sustainable development of who educate their children in professional courses Thresiamma, who leads Archana, had her higher Bringing unemployed and underemployed women among major builders. Most of them however choose women. .Many families which were at the brink of like engineering, nursing, MBA etc. Every one of training in community development at Coady together to make this breakthrough was not at all an to work in or close to their own villages, earning falling apart because of alcoholism, domestic quarrels them has a bank account and insurance cover as International Institute (Canada). In 1988 she joined easy task. It not only called for training in technical good wages. In this way, they are able to take and other such problems -have now been restored well. the water and sanitation project of Socio- Economic skills, but an immense investment in enhancing their care of their homes too. The work hours to peace and decent living, as a result of Thresiamma’s From breaking rubble for the foundation to related units; from where in fact that the Archana vision natural prowess and this is the core of the Archana are from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a persevering efforts. earth works, mixing of mortar, plastering of walls, evolved. At Archana now we see ambitious achievement and its uncompromising leader, half- hour break for lunch. This concreting of roofs- all such work is undertaken by women queuing up to join training Thresiamma Mathew. The Archana - trained schedule also vastly helps them do A new dawn these women. When Tsunami destroyed several and on the other side we see trained women are today admirably scaling new heights. justice to their household chores. Women labourers who until recently used to be houses in Alappad panchayat in Kollam Dt, women moving out to start an What Archana women’s centre has launched is In addition to masonry work, seen in shabby, loose, worn out shirts and torn lungies Archana women went there to empowered career, which in turn in effect a new labour movement. Women in their the women of Archana women’s with a bathing towel covering their heads is now a extend a helping hand and leads to an empowered life. This is blue uniforms, caps and the tools of their trade, centre produce cement bricks, thing of the past. This typical image is being constructed as many as 42 the Archana Model of Empowerment. have a discipline which goes quite beyond their door frames and window changed by Archana women’s centre houses for them. attire. It was in 1989 that Thresiamma frames, all of which are in today. What is happening through Archana skilled Mathew, a nun belonging to the secular high demand. The Archana is a new dawn. If women like work force has Institute of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary beautiful double-storied Bindu Sebastian can pilot aircraft like received Immaculate, started this innovative training head office of the centre movement. For Thresiammma, who hails was constructed from the Pazhukunnel family of Urulikunnam by Archana