A social outfit at Sandeshkhali in the northern Sunderbans has started skilling the wives of jobless migrant workers amid the pandemic.

The Sandeshkhali Maa Saroda Women and Rural Welfare Society has chosen 50 women from financially underprivileged tribal families and distributed among them sewing machines, cloth lengths and thread rolls. The outfit aims to equip homemakers with tailoring skills.

But as an immediate solution to lessen their financial woes, the women are being trained to make face masks and skull caps that are in demand during the pandemic.

Last Friday, members of the welfare society handed over sewing machines funded by Linde Global Support Services Private Limited.

Following the the nation-wide lockdown in March, many migrant workers from parts of Sandeshkhali-1 block returned home from mainly southern states where they worked as construction workers. On May 20, Cyclone Amphan made their lives worse. Despite unlock phases, many workers could not go back. Their wives, mostly homemakers, had no skills that could help them earn.

Subhasis Mondal, secretary of the welfare society, said: “In such a situation, we decided to empower the women. Men can return to work at a later stage, but women can start earning at home.”

To implement the idea, the organisation, supported by the Sandeshkhali-1 block administration, selected one member each from the 50 tribal women groups.

Madhabi Sardar, 36, wife of a migrant worker from Metiakhali, said this training was a ray of hope after Covid and Amphan.

“They will be trained in cutting, knitting, and sewing garments. We have requested the district administration to let them make school uniforms once their training is over,” an official of the welfare society said.