Germany's first lady Daniela Schadt today praised efforts of a Delhi-based self help group in empowering women by helping them in earning livelihood and asked them to strive for further skill development.
Shadt, who is on a six-day visit to India, interacted with a number of self-employed women working at a production unit of Loom Mool, a brand developed by them under the aegis of All India Federation of Self Employed Women's Association called 'Sewa Bharat'.
The first lady was fascinated by the idea of a women's trade union and posed questions about regularity of wages, contribution to the family income, social security programme and number of working hours of women.
"I am very impressed and happy after coming here because it is so very important that women develop their skills. One cannot have all skills but everybody can have certain kind of skills. They are important for earning money," Schadt told PTI.
She was happy to know that many of these women were working to educate their children and help their family.
"It was very touching. Many women told me that they are able to earn some money for education of their children and that all these women have the possibility to develop their own skills and perhaps making education possible for their own daughters," Schadt said.
Schadt also visited Sewa Delhi Polytechnic and interacted with young women enrolled in various vocational training programmes.
"Every country and continent has its own structure and history but we can learn from each other. Everywhere in the world, even in Germany we have young people who have no education and they don't know how to earn money as they have stopped to go to school.
"If you see these young people, it rips your heart because they have a whole life to live without the opportunities to earn their own money. But through this model, perhaps not the whole model but parts of it we could do it in our own way," she said.
