“I stitch around 70–80 masks by the time the sun is up”

Komminepalli Sadgunavati from Telangana state, India, has not only maintained her work as a teacher during these difficult times but has made and distributed over 1,500 masks to the most vulnerable in her community. Read her remarkable story.

I first came to know about COVID-19 through watching the news and soon realised it was a deadly disease. I was anxious because initially we were not clear about how the disease spreads — whether it was airborne or spread through direct contact. My first thought was to inform all the residents in my area to be alert, keep themselves informed and follow the government’s orders strictly. Being a community worker I knew that I could not sit at home doing nothing, and was determined to do something that would really make a difference.

Being a community worker I knew that I could not sit at home doing nothing, and was determined to do something that would really make a difference.

People became increasingly afraid to step out, to buy vegetables, groceries, to exchange currency after buying something, to touch or to even speak with one another. Livelihoods have been badly affected as well. With the lockdown has also come travel restrictions, reduced work-hours and social distancing, and so farmers are struggling to find enough labourers to help them with harvesting, goods transportation and safe storage. Daily wage labourers have also suffered huge losses because they cannot go out to find work, and even when they do, many are afraid to commute. This has had a big impact on their incomes and ability to buy food and essential supplies, not only for themselves but for their dependents — children or elderly relatives.

I work as a teacher, and so it has been my duty to visit my usual beneficiaries at their homes and deliver rice, pulses, eggs, milk, oil, weaning food and other essentials. I also have been delivering goods to stranded migrant workers and some of the undernourished children in my village. But I knew I could do more.

“I wake up at 4 a.m. and start sewing”

I eventually learnt that the infection spreads through droplets when someone coughs or sneezes, and the government soon mandated that the population wear masks whenever they are in public. After I heard on the news that there was shortage of masks in some areas, I came up with a plan. It seemed to me the best and most affordable solution was to use re-usable masks made of cloth. I am accomplished at sewing and so I decided I would sew masks and reach out to as many people as I could.

I wake up each day at 4am and start sewing. I stitch around 70–80 masks by the time the sun is up. I cook meals and finish with my household chores by around 9:30am, and then I stitch another 30 of them. By 11am I usually have about 100 masks ready to go, so I set out with my husband to distribute the face covers to the poor and needy. I return home only after handing over a mask to every person I can find on the streets without one. I then have lunch and get back to marking, cutting and sewing. In the evening, I cook dinner, take care of my children and other household chores and go to bed. I again get back to sewing on the early morning of the next day. This has been my routine for the past month.

I make sure to stitch masks of different colours and distribute different colour ones to family members so that they do not get them mixed up.

So far, I have distributed nearly 1,500 masks among pregnant women, lactating mothers, children, youth, senior citizens, farmers, daily wage labourers, migrant workers from out of town, fishermen, policemen, fruit and vegetable vendors, shepherds, livestock farmers, government officers, at various work sites like petrol bunks, electricity workers, farms, brick kilns, mills, etc. I also ensured that masks are distributed amongst the tribal communities who live in the forest area close to our village.

When I give out the masks, I also explain to every person about how to use and care for the mask. I make sure to stitch masks of different colours and distribute different colour ones to family members so that they do not get them mixed up.

I have not borrowed a single penny from anyone to do this. I am making and donating these masks with the sole intention to save my village from COVID-19 and I hope that everyone comes out of this healthy and safe.

I use only cotton cloth as it is skin friendly and breathable. I first started stitching with leftover cotton cloth that I had at home, and made around 500 with this. Later a garment merchant from the nearby town got to know about my initiative and donated ten rolls of cloth. I made another 500 masks with that. I am now buying the raw materials with my own savings. As the shops are closed due to lockdown, I managed to coordinate with some shop owners who have given me a few bundles of cloth at reasonable rate. To date, I have not borrowed a single penny from anyone to do this. I am making and donating these masks with the sole intention to save my village from COVID-19 and I hope that everyone comes out of this healthy and safe.

My family has been a great support in my endeavour. My husband has been taking me on his vehicle everyday to distribute masks. My twin children have been encouraging me to make more masks too. They are in the 7th grade and now with the schools shut, they are free at home. A local pharmacist suggested that they could make use of the free time by making paper covers and that it would be a great help to him in these tough times. This would also help in reducing the use of plastic covers. So my 13-year-old son and daughter started making paper covers out of newspapers and their old books and the medical shop owner tipped them with 2000 Rupees. As they were inspired by my mask donation drive and wanted to support, they handed over their little earnings to me. Though we are ourselves not very well-off, I have been trying to help as many people as I can.

When I first began making masks, some people in my village thought I was mad and that I was wasting my time and money. I felt hurt by this but I was determined not to give up. I promised myself that I would stop only after stitching enough masks for all the people in my village, and I was sure that people would eventually realise the value of my work. Now, I have received praise and thanks from some prominent members of our community, and other Anganwadi teachers in our project area have now started stitching and distributing re-usable face-covers in their villages, saying they were inspired by my work.

Seeing people smile when I give them a mask gives me immense satisfaction, and I go my sewing table every day with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. I feel elated about the good name this has brought to me and my family, and I am so pleased I can do something to keep my community safe during these troubled times.