New Delhi: A Manipur couple in Imphal have been helping plug the shortage of protective gear during the lockdown by making masks from fabric used in their garment business.
Diana Leivon has been supplying the masks free of cost at hospitals, airports and to anyone else in need while spreading the word through WhatsApp stories.
The 38-year-old mother of three is a fashion designer who has been running ‘K&D designs’ in Imphal for the past two years. A graduate in fashion designing from Bengaluru University’s T. John College, Diana’s firm produces all range of woman’s garments, from wedding gowns to dresses.
Once the lockdown was imposed, Diana had to stop all and refuse orders as her staff couldn’t come to work anymore. It was then that she realised that she should utilise her time for something productive and helpful in these times.
Diana began making the masks from the leftover fabrics.
“I feel extremely relieved when I see people using my masks. It gives me immense pleasure to be doing this at a time when the world needs it the most. I am trying my best to do my part,” she said.
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Social media & a couple’s efforts
The idea came to Diana after she saw an Instagram post.
“I saw an Instagram post of a magazine called Manipur weddings that doctors and other health care staff at Imphal’s Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) are running short of medical masks at the hospital. I knew I had to do something about it and started stitching masks from leftover fabrics. I delivered 20 protective masks on the morning of 26 March to the hospital,” Leivon told ThePrint.
However, as she began catering to more demands, she couldn’t manage on her own. That’s when her husband Kelvin Ginminthang, a graphic designer, joined the efforts. Now, he cuts up the fabric and she stitches it into masks.
“Kelvin started separating the fabrics that can be used to make the masks. We decided to produce as many masks as possible. It gets difficult at times because we are only two people but we manage very well. He helps with resizing the fabric and I stitch them,” Diana said.
The couple has three children — 18-year-old Jasmine, 12-year-old Steffi and 3-year-old April.
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Scaling up operations
Diana and her husband charge nothing for the masks they provide. They have been providing the protective gear not only to JNIMS but also Manipur’s TB hospital and for security staff at Imphal airport.
“I really want to make more masks, but with no staff, I can manage to stitch only 10-15 masks daily. We are trying to chalk out a strategy to produce these masks on a larger scale,” said Diana.
Apart from her regular deliveries, Diana also provides them to anyone who contacts her. “I ask people to come and take it from me since I have three kids at home and can’t step out. The hospitals and other teams send their staff to my place to take them at the end of the day,” she said.
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