Mijwan Welfare Society produces and distributes masks to daily-wage labourers

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 22, 2020

Maharashtra-based NGO Mijwan Welfare Society has produced and distributed non-surgical face masks across India and has set up a donation drive for daily-wage labourers. 

 
The Mijwan Welfare Society, which works with weavers and tailors in the village of Mijwan, Maharashtra, among its various initiatives, has started producing 100% cotton, triple-layer face masks, it announced on Facebook. The NGO has distributed the masks to daily-wage labourers in states including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as part of its work to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
 
The NGO has rallied together rural workers in Mijwan who are now producing the masks. This initiative offers employment to the workers at a time when garment industry orders have dried up.

The public can also order masks online from the Mijwan Welfare Society, it announced. Masks produced in the village retail at Rs 10 per mask, with a minimum order of 200 masks. 

 
The NGO has also launched a food-kit donation programme for migrant workers through its website. The organisation is asking for donations of Rs 500 which it states can provide food and medical supplies for two weeks. 
 
The Mijwan Welfare Society, established in 1992, aims to bring “social and economic equality to villagers,” according to its Facebook page. The organisation holds fashion shows as part of its fundraising work and collaborated with designer Manish Malhotra in 2018 for a runway show titled ‘The Walk of Mijwan’.