Empowerment CentERS
Empowerment Centers are the core projects of Sambhali Trust. We established these centers to provide underprivileged women from deprived areas in Jodhpur with the opportunity to have a good primary education and vocational skill training in sewing and embroidery.
Rajasthan is a patriarchal society where women and girls are treated as second-class citizens, often deemed unworthy of an education due to poverty, family, and cultural reasons. At the Empowerment Centers, teenage girls who may not have been to school or needed to drop out because of their family circumstances and responsibilities are able to meet and connect with other girls in the same situation. They can freely discuss their feelings, which they may not have been allowed to do at home, and support each other as a group.
The women and girls attend for a 12-month course, after which Sambhali Trust provides each graduate with a sewing machine to enable them to continue sewing at home and potentially provide an income for themselves.
At our 10 Empowerment Centers, we:
Provide instruction in English, Hindi, and math, and ensure that all students are literate.
Offer vocational training in sewing and embroidery to learn how to make various Indian garments, accessories, and soft toys; this enables women to earn an income through sewing in their local community and give them access to a larger market through Sambhali Boutique.
Conduct a core-set of 10 educational workshops covering several crucial topics, including Women’s Health and Hygiene, Indian Politics and Geography, Women’s Rights, and many more that volunteers have an interest or expertise in (e.g., photography, drama, specific medical knowledge, etc.).
Encourage self-esteem, confidence, and self-expression and provide self-defense training.
