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Lakshmi Menon, an Ernakulam-based social entrepreneur and designer, has fashioned eco-friendly mattresses for COVID-19 patients from PPE scrap material.

When Lakshmi Menon saw a poor family sleeping on the bare ground, she decided to do something to help the needy. In March 2020, she conceived the idea of shayya mattresses made out of tailoring scrap.

PPE to the rescue

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, hospitals and First-Line Treatment Centres (FLTCS) in Kerala struggled to provide enough beds for patients. Mattresses became the need of the hour, each one costing between 500-700. When Lakshmi called up tailoring units for scrap to make shayyas, she discovered that they had switched to making personal protective equipment (PPE) suits for healthcare workers. A lot of scrap material is generated while making these suits. As it contains small amounts of plastic, it can be disposed of or recycled by a professional agency only something that many tailors cannot afford. So, they would get rid of the scrap by burning it, causing air pollution. Lakshmi then decided to create shayyas from PPE scrap.

These mattresses are easy to make, requiring no stitching. The scraps are braided together and arranged in a zigzag manner before their ends are tied together with scrap cloth. The resulting shayya is 1.8 m (6 ft) long and 0.7 m (2.5 ft) wide. Unlike a regular mattress, which is difficult to disinfect, it can be washed with soap and reused.

Jobs for local women

 Lakshmi employs around 20 local women who had become jobless during the lockdown. Each woman makes one shayya a day, for which she is paid 300. A shayya is sold at the same price to cover the labour charge. Around 700 shayyas have been donated so far.

Lakshmi's innovative project addressed three major issues - waste management, job creation and the lack of bedding for patients. It has t been recognised by the United Nations in their list of best practices. To enable NGOs, students, etc. to replicate her model, Lakshmi provides them with online training.

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I am a student of Std 11 with Arts. I want to become a teacher and social worker. I am also interested in dance. I want to do all these in DU University but I am confused about how to go about it.

Teaching at any grade level usually requires a bachelor's degree in the subject you wish to teach. To teach in secondary schools one should be a graduate and also have a B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) qualification. Graduate teachers with a B.Ed. are known as Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs).

A Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) is the minimum requirement for most entry-level positions in the field of social work. Besides BSW, undergraduate courses in psychology, sociology, and related fields satisfy hiring requirements in some agencies. A Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) is generally necessary for positions in health and mental health setting, public sectors and administrative positions. MSW is of a two-year duration and requires some field work.

At present, focus on 10+2 and get a good percentage. Join a good college for graduation in the field of your interest. You can pursue your interest in dance by taking private classes.

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