In August, just as Onam arrives in Kerala, a new mall will be launched in Kozhikode. To be called Mahila, meaning woman, the mall will be located opposite Fathima Hospital on Wayanad Road. Entirely and exclusively for women, the mall is a project by the Kozhikode Corporation Kudumbashree, in association with the District Kudumbashree Mission.The Kudumbashree Mahila Mall – that’s the full name – will have five floors spread over 36,000 sq ft, with women taking care of the mall management and the administration. All the staff too shall be women.

“You can provide a starving person some fish or you can teach him to fish. The latter would help him in the long run.”

The Kozhikode Corporation Kudumbasree Community Development Society (CDS) believes in this policy and hence when it came to helping the Rohingya refugees in Delhi, it took the harder route. The Kudumbasree will provide skill development training to the refugees and help them market their products.

The Kudumbasree EKSAT will train the willing people in trades such as making umbrella, dress and packagable food products. The training will be coordinated by Ubais Sainulabdeen Peace Foundation, which has been undertaking relief works at the refugee camps in Delhi for months.