Connecting with friends and family is very much on our minds this time of the year. It is blessedly occurring more as increasing numbers of Americans are vaccinated against Covid. And in that spirit, Sambhali U.S. has a novel approach to renewing bonds while also helping women and girls in Rajasthan, India. 

SUStenance (SambhaliUS) are in-person, virtual, or hybrid events that anyone can host with support, advice, and tools provided by Sambhali U.S. The goal is to introduce friends, family, and colleagues to the amazing Sambhali Trust programs in India and how Sambhali U.S. is supporting those efforts.  

The host chooses the particulars: the invitees, the date, and the place (real and/or virtual). The host also determines what aspects of Sambhali to highlight based on their interests and the interests of their guests: women’s empowerment, educating girls, or gender-based violence. In all events, participants get to hear the story of Sambhali Trust from founder Govind Rathore and about how a group of Americans has joined together to support these efforts through Sambhali U.S.  

A Sambhali U.S. board member serves as co-host throughout the planning—from working with the host to choose among the themes and invitation templates to thank you notes post-event. SUStenance events are not fundraisers. They are a way to introduce new people to Sambhali or to provide more information for those who have already been a part of the family as volunteers or donors.

To make it festive and fun, Sambhali U.S. suggests interactive options such as serving Indian food (maybe even making it together!) or sending guests home with gifts that evoke thoughts of India or the women of Sambhali, such as handmade items by graduates of the Sambhali Trust Empowerment Centers.  

Sambhali U.S. board member Dina Baker, who spearheaded the development of SUStenance, served as host of the inaugural SUStenance event in September. The virtual event included twenty people logging on from Southern California to Boston. “From my experience as a host, it was heart-warming,” she says. “I have an emotional pull to Sambhali, and I saw that come alive on others’ faces. As someone who likes to bring people together, even though it wasn’t around my table and I wasn’t feeding them, it gave me pleasure and I saw them get excited about something that excites me.” 

Khusbu Patel, who had begun volunteering for Sambhal U.S. just a couple of weeks before the event described it this way: 

Sambhali U.S. supporter Theresa Amato attended the inaugural SUStenance event and plans to host one in 2022. "I intend to host a multi-generational event to support the works of Sambhali U.S. in assisting women and girls in India, because I know first-hand how women who know how to sew can advance themselves, their families, and their communities," she says, and adds, “My mom, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and I, as well as my two teenage daughters, are looking forward to donating sewing machines by the end of the year in remembrance or honor of the many needleworkers in our families.” 

“Anyone who feels a connection to the work of Sambhali and wants others to feel a connection too can make a great host,” according to Dina. That anyone can be you. And we hope it will be! Bring the story of the amazing women and girls of Sambhali to your (actual or virtual) living room. Connect with family and friends in a new way—a way that brings a special kind of SUStenance. Contact us here for more information.