“While most of the husbands were jobless, our women workers still had jobs; that way everyone was motivated”. 

Two months into the pandemic, Cotton Mill realized the need of the hour and transitioned from its regular production i.e., manufacturing textiles for households and started to manufacture sustainable cotton masks. This transition was also important in order to sustain and survive as the demand for the household textiles during the pandemic had drastically reduced. During COVID, where many firms had laid off its employees or did pay cuts; Cotton Mill not only retained its women workforce but also added another revenue source by producing masks. 

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Cotton Mill also realized the importance of social media during the COVID times and started to leverage the online platforms for selling the masks. Hence, Cotton Mill has been able to bounce back in spite of closing down its 2 brick and mortar stores. In a recent OTW’s COVID-19 Fund Webinar, the co-founder of Cotton Mill (Prasanna Basnet) shared that, “while most of the husbands were jobless, our women workers still had jobs; that way everyone was motivated”.  This is an exemplary example of “women supporting women”. The sheer dedication and resilience of Cotton Mill has empowered its women workforce to support their family during the global pandemic. At the same time, the cotton masks are sustainable and environmentally friendly which also promotes wearing masks all the time.