President’s Update Summer 2021

Late at night, I hear the first pings from WhatsApp. It’s approaching midnight at my home in Maryland (I really should go to bed earlier . . .) but it’s 9:30 in the morning in Rajasthan, India.  As I come down the stairs when it’s morning my time, I hear more pings as late afternoon comes to in India. When I open my phone to the dozens of messages, I see a treasure trove of photos in which the women and girls of Sambhali are doing what they have longed for: learning with their sisters.

The future of the pandemic in India (or anywhere) is unpredictable. It is terrifying that less than 10% of the Indian population is fully vaccinated. But for now, infection rates are low and, using safety precautions, the Sambhali Trust Empowerment Centers and Boarding Homes are back in operation.

Once again, women are learning to sew, crafting beautiful embroidery, gaining skills in Hindi, English, and math. Learning from each other and creating powerful bonds.

Laadli Empowerment Center, one of three centers funded by Sambhali U.S., has changed location to meet the needs of a community of women who came to Sambhali Trust’s food bank during the pandemic and, once there, expressed their desire to learn. Read more about this here.

Once again, the girls of the Sheerni Boarding Home are studying, made possible through a combination of remote classes and daily tutoring. I smile every time I see the girls at their laptops, recalling that when I was there just before the pandemic they had almost no computer skills. And I love seeing them finding peace and strength in yoga class and learning to kick butt in self-defense class.

Once again, the Nirbhaya team is bringing workshops to the women and girls of Sambhali on topics such as sexual assault, human trafficking, social welfare programs, and dowry. They are able to distribute information on gender-based violence in Jodhpur neighborhoods and offer in-person counseling.

Amidst all the horror that is the pandemic, there are good things that happened because of the pandemic. In addition to the relocation of the Laadli Empowerment Center, things like finding a way to provide computers and computer training to the Sheerni girls, and expanding the Nirbhaya gender-based violence project. All of these seemed undoable—until they became the only path forward.

Lots and lots of pings. Beautiful pings.

Sometimes a thousand pictures all tell the story of one word: empowerment.

Thank you for making that empowerment possible.

Shereen Arent
President, Sambhali U.S.