PTRI Intervention

September 1999 marked PTRI’s first intervention to DAWN.  Starting from a seminar/workshop on Tie-Dyeing Technology, seven courses were offered to 16 SIKHAY members through skills training.  These included Dyeing of Synthetic Fibers, Basic and Advanced Handloom Weaving, and Silk Handloom Weaving.

In the Tie Dyeing Technology Course, the trainees learned the processes involved in the production of tie-dyed textile products.  The processes included fabric pretreatment such as scouring and bleaching, tying or binding, and dyeing.  Techniques in creating varied designs on cotton fabric were also imparted to the participants.

DAWN participants in the course on Dyeing of Synthetic Fibers likewise were taught the dyeing process applicable to fibers such as acrylic and polyester.

The other technological courses conducted for DAWN were Basic and Advance Handloom Weaving Technologies. Basic Handloom Weaving focused on material requirement calculation, cost accounting, material preparation, warping, loom dressing, and actual weaving of basic weave designs.  The Advance Handloom Weaving Course, on the other hand, covered the methods of diversifying fabric structure, design analysis, and execution of weave design variations.  These courses, necessarily conducted after the basic weaving skills are acquired, usually take a month of continuous practice. Silk Handloom Weaving covered the processes of hand weaving silk filaments, which require different and various techniques.

Through the transfer of relevant textile technologies, beneficiaries were provided with livelihood opportunities that could be translated into economic endeavors and employment opportunities.  In the end, the improvement in the quality of life has resulted in the restoration of their dignity as human beings and eventually made them responsible citizens of the country.   Such were the cases of the following women whose determination to redirect their lives after their traumatic experiences as entertainers in Japan led them to become strong and successful women through the intervention of DAWN with the support of its affiliates such as PTRI.