Kudumbashree Kozhikode District Mission had been making a remarkable yet spectacular gesture that could be replicated by everyone. The dress bank initiative of Kozhikode Corporation Kudumbashree had been collecting the used, reusable dresses; even newer ones and had been distributing among the real needy people. They had been collecting dresses and has been catering to various charities and shelter homes. The dress collection drive of the Dress Bank was opened on 5 March 2018 and will last till 12 March 2018. More than 700 sets of clothes, mostly from individual contributors, have reached the dress bank so far. Besides, 15 residents associations in the district have signed up to collect clothes from their localities for the dress bank in the upcoming days.

The dress collection drive for the dress bank was started earlier in 2013. The dress bank had supplied a full load of clothes to a Rohingya refugee camp in Delhi recently and a second load will be sent by March 15. The street dwellers in the city and migrant labourers are also beneficiaries of the dress bank.

The clothes collected at the dress bank undergoes strict quality check before being distributed to the needy. It is made sure that the dresses are not tattered or faded. The faded and non usable ones would be rejected during the quality check and are sold on auction, the profit from which will be used to purchase new clothes. Fresh clothes are given out for the beneficiaries during the festive occasions. The compassionate gesture of Kudumbashree Kozhikode District Mission could be a model for many.

Kudumbashree women from Wayanad formed giant human logo to mark the International Women's Day. Wearing Kerala saris, and with pink and green scarves on their heads, the women formed the three-flower logo of Kudumbashree Mission at the ground of Government Higher Secondary School, Mananthavady on 6 March 2018. The Kudumbshree women of Wayanad thereby wrote a new saga in the 20-year history of the poverty eradication mission of Kerala. 5,438 members from various units of Wayanad District Kudumbashree Mission, joined together to form the giant human logo and sang the women empowerment song of district mission. The logo was drawn in 260 feet size. Food and drinking water facilities for the women who participated were also arranged at the school ground.

The Kudumbashree logo stands for financial, social, and women empowerment. A huge crowd had gathered at the ground to watch the novel programme. The attempt was also a part of finding a spot in the Guinness World Records by forming the largest human logo by women. A one-hour video of the programme is to be submitted to the Guinness World Records.

Apart from the programme, the first art theatre titled 'Rosy the real strength of women' would be launched at Chandragiri Auditorium as a part of the International Women’s Day celebrations on 8 March 2018. The project aims to conserve the folk and traditional art forms of the State and convey the message of women empowerment and a debate on ‘gender justice’ and a talk show would also be arranged by the Wayanad District Mission.

Kudumbashree Idukki District Mission made an outstanding performance by launching Eco friendly Sanitary Napkins named 'Femy'. The femy napkins are plastic free and are made of cotton only. It can better be called an organic sanitary napkin that it is made out of pure cotton and bamboo.

The  Femy Sanitary Napkins are available in Extra Large, Premium and Wings variants. The price of the napkin ranges from Rs 35 to Rs 55.

The 12 members of Friendly Comfort Kudumbashree Unit, Idukki are the team behind this napkin  brand. Smt. Faseena Shajahan, Smt Anandavalli, Smt. Usha, Smt.Bini and Smt.Jalaja are the women who are in charge of the unit.

The unit had also bagged the Award for Best Women Entrepreneurs constituted  by Shasthra Sahithya Parishad.

Those who had been regularly using Femy Sanitary Napkins are availing  it through courier service. Each women in the unit are getting around Rs 250 daily. The team also participates in various exhibitions and sales programmes and are making more market for their product.

The RO plant opened at Kozhikode Old Corporation office premises stand out unique because of the interventions it had made into the life of common man of Kozhikode. The RO plant is producing and distributing drinking water to almost all the households and shops in Kozhikode city limits.

Kudumbashree had launched the idea of launching a Reverse Osmosis Plant to produce bottled drinking water, as part of the National Urban Livelihoods Mission Project being implemented in Kerala. And the first drinking water plant was constructed at the old corporation office premises. A five member team of Kudumbashree women was entrusted to supply the drinking water cans to 150 houses and residential apartments. A trail run was held for a week so that the members could make required changes when the operation turned into full swing. As the programme was found successful, the programme was officially launched on 5 June 2017, the Environment day. The bottled drinking water was named as ‘Theertham’.

The Community Development Societies (CDS) of the Kudumbashre project office of the city corporation is implementing the project with the help of New Delhi based Dharna Infrastructure Private Limited. The public need to give a nominal charge of just Rs 20 for 20 litres of pure drinking water. The plant is located at the old corporation office and has the capacity to produce 2000 cans of water per day. The CDS had dug up tube well to ensure continuous water for the supply. The treatment plant at old corporation office is using reverse osmosis technology to treat the filtered water. The water will be then purified through ultraviolet treatment. The purified water stored in the stainless steel tanks will be distributed after packaging in bottles and canes. They are supplying an average of about 300 bottles per day.The Bottled drinking water services has got a huge relevance in a city like Kozhikode as it is densely populated and Kozhikode city has evolved into a bigger market over these years.

The five membered team led by Smt. Latha is incharge of the initiative. A vehicle was hired for supplying the bottles to the needy and now they had got 2 vehicles to supply the bottles, as the need for Thirtham drinking water had increased. The group had taken loan and they are repaying an amount of Rs.50,000 per month and are investing their shares of their income for the smooth running of the initiative itself.The initiative was widely appreciated by the people very much that at times, the group even may fail to reach to them. It is planned to buy more vehicles for the smooth delivery.

The office had started receiving request from offices and educational institutions even when it was decided to a conduct trail run for a week by distributing water to houses and apartments. The Thirtham Drinking Water is affordable to everyone that 20 litres of water cost Rs 20 only which means that, it cost Rs 1 per litre. Till January 2018, they had sold around 30,000 bottles of water.

The nominal rate and good quality are the hallmark of Theertham packaged drinking water that more people are enquiring about the availability of the service even from distant places. It is also planned to start such RO plants in other places in the district in the next phase. The demand for purified drinking water can be better converted into an enterprise opportunity and the Mission intends to set 17 plants across the state.

'Theertham’, as the name implies is being the holy water, distributed to the people of Kozhikode in reasonable prices during this time of water scarcity.

Kudumbashree's new initiative Pet Care will be launched at Nedumangad of Thiruvananthapuram district soon. Those residing in the urban areas may make use of the pet care centres by paying a fixed amount.

The first of its kind will be started in Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram. As a pilot project, the pet care centre will start functioning by the second week of March 2018. In the first phase, the pet care centre will take care of dogs and once it would be successful, it would take care of other domestic animals as well. The service of a veterinary doctor will also be ensured.

Five Kudumbashree women had been given training regarding the same. Rs 10 lakh is the expected budget for the project. The pet care centre would be started near the Veterinary clinic  at Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram.

10 cages would be built in the first phase.Food will also be given to them. On the special request of the owner, special food  would be served to them. Two beds are also arranged for treating those who need further treatments.

If the demand for the pet centres increase, more centres will be started.

Ummante Vadakkini, (Mother’s Kitchen) the monthly food fest system initiated by Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission stands out different by setting a unique model. The food fest serves tasty, mouth watering ethnic Malabar cuisines. What makes Ummante Vadakkini different from another food courts? Not only the food served by them but also their mode of working is a bit different. Yes! They made a huge difference by shifting their mindsets to better thoughts.

Kudumbashree Bazaar, Kudumbashree Mission's E- Commerce Portal made its first delivery at Palakkad District. The first online purchase order for Kudumbashree bazaar was received from Palakkad. Smt. Krishnakumari, entrepreneur from Archana Kudumbashree of Parali Panchayath, Palakkad received the order for iron frying pan from Smt. Leelamma of Vadakkancherry. Krishnakumari's iron utensil production unit was started in 2007. The place of delivery being nearby, the product was delivered within 2 hours.

It's for improving the market and reach of the Kudumbashree products among the common people that the e-portal is launched.There are about 15,000 Micro Enterprises in the state. The Kudumbashree women are producing different type of curry powders, flour, masala powders, different types of pickles, jams, squashes, coconut oil, handicrafts, cosmetics, toiletries, readymade garments etc. Out of these the best 200 types which would excel in packing and labelling are available for sale through the e-portal in the first phase. As the demand for the products increases, more products would be made available online for sale.

The details of the products including the photo, name of the unit, phone number which are ready for sale are made available in the website. The customers may visit the website and select the products they wish to buy. When the consumer confirms one item, the concerned Micro Entrepreneurs, District Programme Managers and the State Mission Manager would receive a message. It is the responsibility of the Entrepreneur to send the product through post on receiving the order. Kudumbashree and Postal department had already signed a contract regarding this. Once the Kudumbashree super markets would be started in all districts, the supervision and the responsibility of the online portal would be handed over to them. Through this the Kudumbashree women would be able to make more income of their own. Kudumbashree Mission had indeed made a path breaking gesture by launching 'www.kudumbashreebazaar.com'. From now onwards, through this e-portal, products made by the Kudumbashree women could be bought at ease.

The State level Nutrimix Cookery competition was held at NSS College, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram on 23 February 2018. Unlike the other cookery competitions, the participants of the programme prepared dishes with Amrutam Nutrimix, the protein powder prepared by Kudumbashree women which is given to the children below three years as supplementary food.

Two women each from a district participated which made a total of 28 women participated in the competition. 2 types of dishes were made by each of the candidates. Smt. Shruthi Lajil from Kannur bagged the first prize and Smt Merin Thomas from Idukki came in the second place. Smt.Thara, State Programme Officer, Health Department, Prof. Rejini, Kerala Agriculture University (Rtd) and Smt. Sheeja, HOD, Home Science department, NSS College, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram were the jury who selected the winners.

The candidates made a total of 56 dishes like Nutrimix Cake, Nutrimix Vegetable Momos, Nutrimix Noodles, Amrutham Nutri Cookies, Nutrimix Ada, Nutrimix Bonda etc. The competition not only provided a platform for the women to showcase their cooking skills, but also drived to the nutrition value of Amrutam Nutrimix.

Amrutam Nutrimix, which contains wheat, groundnut, soya bean, gram, and sugar, is given to children below three years of age as supplementary nutrition. The competition was organised by Department of Women and Child Development associating with Kudumbashree Mission. Competitions were also organised at the district levels for promoting Amrutham Nutrimix nutrition powder.

DDU-GKY's international placements are creating history again. Three DDUGKY students from Kozhikode who had secured international placements in the middle east is the recent one in the list.  Dr. K.T.Jaleel, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala  presented the trophies and visa to them at a function held at Kanakakunnu Palace as part of the launch of Kudumbashree Bazaar.com  on 21 February 2018.

The students are placed at the Abu Dhabi and Sharjah  outlets of Mac Donalds, the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries across approximately 36,900 outlets as of 2016.

Shri. Pranil. C.T.K, Shri. K. Appu and Shri. Vishnu. P are the students who had got the international placements. Three of them had completed the Customer Relationship Executive course. After completing the course from Edujob Consultantancy, Vadakara, Kozhikode they have had attended international placement fest and got selected to the Mac Donalds for their Abu Dhabi and Sharjah outlets.

Shri Appu and Shri. Pranil will join the Sharjah outlet and Shri. Vishnu will join the Abu Dhabi outlet of Mac Donalds.