Empowering Women Through Pine Leaves: A Path to Self-Reliance

In the quiet villages of Mashobra Block, a remarkable initiative is helping women turn nature’s abundance into opportunity. The National Skills Foundation of India (NSFI), a non-governmental organization, is offering free one-week training to around 70 women from Peeran, Chalog, and Shilog Bagh. The training focuses on crafting everyday items from pine leaves—an effort designed to spark self-reliance and entrepreneurship.

Rajput Bandhu, the field executive leading the sessions, explains that the women only need to collect pine leaves locally, while NSFI provides the rest of the materials. To ease their journey, the organization also offers free meals and refreshments during the program. At the end of the week, participants are tested, awarded certificates, and even given starter kits to continue their work. Importantly, NSFI also purchases the products made by the women, ensuring their skills translate into income.

Sai Krishna Nandori, CEO of NSFI, shares that this project spans 15 panchayats in Mashobra, with a goal of training 350 women—half of whom have already completed the program. Since opening its office in Junga in 2019, NSFI has supported women in diverse skills such as beekeeping, bag making, and dairy farming. Thirty women even received beekeeping boxes to kickstart their ventures.

This initiative is more than just training—it’s about dignity, independence, and creating livelihoods rooted in local resources.