My first Magazine Skilletts_ January 2018 | Page 7

Marketing support is also being extended by Kudumbashree State Mission to sell out the
products of micro entrepreneurs through India International Trade Fair and other monthly fairs
and festivals. An arrangement was made with Agro Hyper Bazar and they have allotted 6 racks
for selling out Kudumbashree's products.
Apart from other micro enterprises a few special enterprises were also launched by Kudum-
bashree Mission. Santhwanam unit is a major intervention of Kudumbashree in the Health sec-
tor. It is a collaborative effort of Kudumbashree Mission, Health Action by People (HAP) and the
State Bank of India (SBI). Women from Kudumbashree families having a plus-two education or
graduation in science are selected for such enterprises. They are given seven days of intensive
training on technical inputs and personality development by HAP, an NGO headed by a group
of committed doctors. The entrepreneurs are trained in checking the height, body weight, body
mass index, cancer detection, blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels. The San-
thwanam groups also take part in fairs and festivals, where they carry out checkups of patients
and earn a good income. This is in addition to the regular house visits they undertake for peri-
odic checkups. The main benefit of this scheme is that the periodic checkups give individuals a
regular updates on their state of health so that they can go to a hospital in time for further
treatment if necessary.
Cafe Kudumbashree is yet another enterprise in the hospitality sector. More than 1000 units
serving ethnic delicacies are functioning across the state. Café Kudumbashree specializes in eth-
nic Kerala cuisine, prepared
by women from various cul-
tures, traditions and cus-
toms. Arguably, this is the
only brand that brings to-
gether the diversity of ethnic
Kerala cuisine under one
roof. Over the years, Cafe
Kudumbashree has estab-
lished itself as a strong
brand in the restaurant sec-
tor, through a series of food
festivals, catering orders and also by running canteens.
Skilletts— January– 2018
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