Crafts initiative sculpting welfare of underprivileged women

Esther Verma
Dimapur, July 28 (EMN): George Bernard Shaw, the celebrated writer once said, “Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby”. Today, a  Naga girl, with a mass communication degree, is living her life as a successful entrepreneur and also creating employment opportunities for other women, showing what it means to venture out of your comfort zone and explore one’s talent.

Asano Peseyie is the proprietor of ‘Quirky Qrafts’ based in Dimapur.  She was a government employee before she decided to pursue her own dreams.

Unlike most Nagas who looks at government job as the only steady source of income ensuring a sense of ‘dignity’, Peseyie felt otherwise and considered her job working on designing logos and working on Photoshop in the government sector ‘as having no scope in exploring her creativity’.

So, in the year 2014, she identified the lack of ‘artsy’ and unique merchandise in the local market and did what would be the most unthinkable decision for most Naga youths of giving up a government job.

Peseyie foresaw her talent being used in a more productive manner, and in with just a meagre amount of saving and a ‘zero balance in her bank account’, she started her venture.

while interacting with Eastern Mirror, Peseyie disclosed that she started ‘taking small orders for packaging, gift boxing, invitations, logo designs, wedding cards, personalised items and many others’.

Four years down the line, perseverance and hard work sustained her dreams.

Peseyie stated that she later moved up to a large variety of stationery items as well.

By the end of 2014, the year she started her venture which she christened as ‘Quirky Qrafts’ started getting orders for weddings which kept her busy all through the year.

“Every order was paying for the next; it was the cycle initially” she said with a sense of satisfaction.

By 2017 Peseyie was caught in between how to quickly deliver the products on time to her clients in the face of the fund constraints and the limited space at home.

She then approached the department of women resources for assistance. As providence would have it, it was more like the meeting of a buyer and seller between Peseyie and the government as the entrepreneur was in need of funds and the department also wanted to impart skill development trainings for one of their programs called ‘Myki’ catering to underprivileged women.

“The department wanted me to train the women from the ‘Myki’ programme with a salary after the training if they stayed and in return I too will get help, so we signed an MOU,” she informed adding that Quirky Qrafts help the women as young as 20, in providing their household income.

Peseyie then informed that after linking with ‘Myki’, women entities like Quirky Qrafts and others were allotted space for production purposes. “This is rent free and in return we conduct trainings throughout the year and the women trainees are interviewed and selected by the department officials” she said.

Traditionally, as wage employment for women in the agricultural sector is higher than men in the State, the industrial and service sectors like ‘Quirky Qrafts’ are seeing a growth of only female workers too. In the present socio economic scenario, women are still treated as second class citizens especially in terms of employment opportunities.

According to the Gender Vulnerability Report 54.5% of women are illiterate and only 33.3% have had 10 or more years of schooling in Nagaland.

Peseyie believes there are just too many responsibilities a woman has on her hands and is of the notion that as women, one must uplift other women and provide within their potential to help other women in society, especially the underprivileged.  Peseyie maintained that as a woman entrepreneur she does feel an emotional attachment and a sense of responsibility to help by employing other girls and women.

In Nagaland, it is reported that only 34.7% of women own land or property whether it is individually or with other people.

The customary law that land inheritance should always favour the male has kept women at bay to move forward for a long time.

“When I was initially applying for loans, many women get asked for land ‘patta’ (legal documents) and for me to start with nothing encouraged and proved humbling,” she recalled.

Quality and deliverance of Quirky Qrafts proved to be very popular throughout the years of its existence as customers from day one still come back.

“We like to remain consistent and retain the quality of each craft” said Peseyie and proudly adding that friends that have their own printing press still come to her for work.

Right now Quirky Qrafts has a 50% order demand from not only outside the State and country but also abroad like France, UK, Dubai and Bhutan.

The business that started with zero budget, has now delivered across 23 states in India and has generated employment to over a dozen women since its inception.

“Our main goal and purpose is to provide unique, high quality affordable products with a mission in generating employment opportunities to local women and underprivileged girls”, said the self taught entrepreneur that learned the art of almost everything Quirky Qrafts stands for, through studying and watching videos online.

Quirky Qrafts can be contacted through their Instagram @quirkyqrafts and at 7085932797