A successful chemical engineer, Shalini Datta always wanted to do something meaningful with her life, something which would leave a positive impact on the lives of others. When she got her first job in an IT company, she signed up for corporate responsibility activities to come closer to her dream. After a time, however, Datta quit her job to create After Taste, an organization that helps women in a marginal community of fishermen to earn a living by making handicrafts out of paper.
What started as a small initiative gained momentum and more and more women joined the enterprise. In 2012, Datta organized the first exhibition of hand-made products. Even before starting, Datta was sure she could gather a group of women with no previous knowledge and teach them the trade from scratch. “I also wanted to instill a sense of teamwork in them”, she says. “Since they hadn’t worked together before, I taught them how to cooperate rather than compete.”
Currently, the company manufactures various paper products which include custom-made bags, lamps and picture frames. Among its clients are 25 corporations, organizations and various educational institutions, as well as individual customers. The focus of this company has allowed women who face difficult situations at homes to improve their quality of life, be economically independent and be more confident and outgoing in their social interactions.
Although their workplace is a small room in a suburb in Mumbai, Datta’s dream is to expand the business and get more a bigger place. Her goal is to increase the number of workers so as to reach out to more women, and start selling online. She explains that “We’re not asking for charity; we want to offer a tangible solution to the difficulties that these women face”.
Source: thebetterindia.com
