A Friendship with Deep Roots Bears Fruit in India

by Carlea Bauman
photos Hilary Marcus

Laurie Kaslow and Hilary Marcus have been friends for over 30 years. As they prepared the classic Indian side dish of raita—which would become part of a celebration for Laurie’s birthday—they marveled at how their bond started in New England and now extends to northern India.

Laurie lives in India mostly full-time these days and runs a resort with her husband near Jaisalmer, but back when she and Hilary first met in Boston, Massachusetts in 1993, she was a pediatric trauma therapist. “We immediately bonded,” says Hilary. “We’ve known each other through a lot of phases. We’ve been through it together,” Laurie follows up.

That bond has also provided great support for the women and girls of Sambhali Trust.

Laurie had spent two years living in India when they met. “I just really loved it. India resonated with me immediately.” Soon after, she met her husband there. They married in the U.S. but traveled back and forth frequently.

Laurie learned about Sambhali Trust in 2011. She and her husband were in the process of building a resort in Jaisalmer which was, according to her, “such a sleepy little town, I would drive 250 miles to get pasta in Jodhpur.”

Jodhpur, of course, is where Sambhali Trust was founded. On one of their visits to the big city, she and her husband stayed in Sambhali Trust founder Govind Rathore’s guesthouse, which also housed the Trust then.

Govind told Laurie about the Trust. Laurie, who had just retired from her therapy practice offered insight based on her decades of working with women and children. “We had this synergy that was incredible.” He was even using curricula that she had co-written in the U.S.

She worked with him as a volunteer consultant after that, while still building her own new company with her husband. She told Govind that if he ever brought Sambhali to Jaisalmer, she would support him in any way she could.

That opportunity came when the Covid pandemic hit and Sambhali Trust provided emergency rations in Jaisalmer and then was asked by those they served to come back after the pandemic and open Empowerment and Primary Education Centers, as detailed in this  Sambhali  U.S. article from 2022. Today, Laurie provides ongoing support and consultation when needed. 

With her unique insight into the culture in Jaisalmer, Laurie is impressed with how the staff of Sambhali engenders trust with locals. “Jaisalmer can be quite insular. There was a lot of suspicion about Sambhali Trust at first. The people of Jaisalmer have a bad taste in their mouths from mismanaged NGOs of the past. What is a hallmark of Sambhali Trust, and helped it gain traction, is it is not run by Westerners. It is driven organically from within.”

Laurie Kaslow, Shereen Arent, Hilary Marcus, GInka Poole at Sambhali Trust office in Jodhpur

This past February, Hilary was preparing to celebrate her 60th birthday with a trip to Rajasthan to visit Laurie. She had heard Laurie’s glowing reports about Sambhali Trust for years and by then Laurie was also involved with Sambhali U.S. “I’ve done a lot of work developing nonprofits," says Hilary, "and I believe in supporting healthy organizations. Laurie had told me about Sambhali U.S., so I got in touch. My birthday was coming up and I thought this was a great opportunity.” Before her departure, Hilary launched a Facebook fundraiser.

“It’s not hard to do and it adds a lot of meaning to milestone birthdays,” she continues. “I didn’t want gifts. It was a way to celebrate in a meaningful way. It gave my trip direction and purpose.”

She raised money before she left and continued to raise money while she was in India. As a photographer—the images in this article are hers—she posted photos while there, which helped generate more donations. Ultimately, she raised almost $3,000.

Hilary and Laurie stayed in Jodhpur at Govind’s guesthouse and visited Sambhali Trust projects. “We were in Jodhpur for just two days, but I got to see a lot,” says Hilary. At one of the boarding homes, she felt the familiarity of camaraderie among the girls. “They help each other out, it’s a collective environment. The girls also take full advantage of going to school. They do not take that for granted in any way.” Hilary and Laurie also visited the Empowerment Centers in Jaisalmer.

Hilary also contributes to Sambhali through her photographs. She worked with Ginka Poole, Sambhali U.S.’s vice president and chair of the Communications Committee, who was also at Sambhali Trust at the time. Together they discussed what photos were needed to enhance Sambhali U.S.’s various communications efforts.

When she returned, Hilary hosted a virtual gratitude event, much like a regular SUStenace event, where she told her friends, family, and colleagues about her visit to Sambhali Trust and how much good their donations were doing on the ground—another beautiful way Hilary found to tell the stories of the women and girls of Sambhali.

Laurie and Hilary’s rich friendship, which spans over three decades and 7,000 miles, now has a new dimension, supporting women and girls in Rajasthan, India.

See some of Hilary’s images and read her reflections below.