"Empowerment Through Skill: Transforming Lives at Sambhali Trust Empowerment Centers with a Needle and Thread"

by Debrah Linn

The impact of the vocational training program at the Sambhali Empowerment Centers is evident in the lives of the woman who participate. They gain more than an income. Women graduate from the program with hope, strength, courage, and confidence—qualities that can be passed to their daughters.

Nida tragically lost her husband in 2019. Suddenly, she became the sole provider and caregiver for her two children and bedridden father-in-law. Her limited education prevented her from finding a well-paying job, but, thankfully, Nida found a Sambhali Trust Empowerment Center. Over the next year, she learned sewing and business skills that not only enabled her to begin providing for her family, but also taught her to become a highly skilled seamstress.

Each Sambhali Trust Empowerment Center offers a twelve-month vocational education program. By offering sewing, math, and literacy classes, the Empowerment Centers help women achieve financial and personal independence.

Every woman who enrolls in the free training begins the program with an embroidery class. Within three months of guidance by expert instructors, each woman’s embroidery skills are perfected so she can begin selling high quality, handcrafted items. After successfully completing the embroidery course, women learn to sew the various clothes traditionally worn in Rajasthan and can progress from beginner to advanced classes in applique, crochet, and professional garment construction.

In addition to sewing courses, women participate in other courses to support their independence. Math classes teach how to estimate sewing projects and calculate business costs. There are also courses in Hindi, English, and self-defense, and the women attend workshops that teach about a wide range of topics including health, legal rights, the environment, and building self-confidence.

With each new skill learned during the twelve-month training program, women can confidently sell beautifully crafted items that showcase what they’ve accomplished. These include expertly created clothes, scarves,  totes, bed linens, pillow covers, jackets, toys, table mats, and unique wall hangings. The quality craftsmanship of the women’s work in the Empowerment Centers has even garnered the attention of American hotels who purchase gifts for their guests.

Upon graduation from the program, each woman receives a sewing machine of her own and can decide if she wants to find outside employment, begin her own home sewing business, or simply sew for her family.

One option for employment is through Sambhali Dastakar, a business that is separate from Sambhali Trust. Dastakar employs graduates of the program to produce clothing, accessories, home décor, and collectables which are then sold in the Sambhali Boutique, wholesale markets, and hotels. Some women choose to begin their own home-based sewing businesses after graduation. Having learned the necessary skills to be successful, they can market their high-quality sewn, crocheted, or embroidered garments to local shops or larger businesses.

Nida is just one example of how the program changes lives. Today, because of the financial success of her home sewing business, Nida celebrates the engagement of her daughter. Even better, Nida gets to watch her daughter complete her education, something that wouldn’t have been possible without the Sambhali Empowerment Center.

In the video below, Market Outreach Manager, Monica Jod, explains how Sambhali assists graduates in finding ways to sell their work: