Sambhlai Trust

Who are we?

Sambhali Trust is a non-profit charitable organisation based in Jodhpur, whose focus is

the development and empowerment of women and girls in Rajasthan.

We provide underprivileged Rajasthani women and girls with an education in English, Hindi and Maths, as well as training in vocational and social skills, to support them in

developing confidence and self-esteem, and help them work towards financial independence.

Currently we rely solely on funding from our loyal donors and sponsors in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and England and our in store Boutique. These partnerships assist us to

sustain our projects, pay our employees and other essential costs. When a woman or girl joins Sambhlai we promise them that they will receive their very own

sewing machine after completion of one successful year. This will allow them to make clothing for themselves, their families and the outside community giving them financial

independence.

We urgently seek funding and donations to present sewing machines to 40 different women throughout our four different Empowerment Centres, to ensure the sustainability of their

vocational skill training. Each Sewing Machine, costing only 4,000 Ruppees (65 USD & 50 EUROS), has the ability

to grant a woman economic, personal and social empowerment.

Below you will find 25 profiles of the women who are in need of their promised sewing machines; including their personal stories, achievements and what they wish to accomplish

with their new sewing machines.

   

BROTHERS FOR SISTERS EMPOWERMENT CENTRE

Established in February 2013, this has been providing a vocational training programme, literacy and educational workshops to around 80 women and girls in a

neglected area of Jodhpur.

Ruksar, 15

Time at Sambhali: 2 Years

Ruskar’s lives wither her family of eleven people, four sisters, four brothers and her parents. Her father is the sole

provider for the family, earning RS 700 (12 UDS) per day as a garbage collector. Her 4 brothers attend a government

school further away and live with their uncle. He does not allow any of his daughters to do the same. Therefore

Ruskar and three of her sisters attend Brothers and Sisters Empowerment Centre. Before her time at Sambhlai, two of

her sisters and herself performed Jodhpur threading (a local form of dying fabric with a traditional print) to earn a

little 15-20 RS (30 CENTS UDS) a day.

She was illiterate in both English and Hindi before Sambhali but after 2 years of attendance she feels confident and

that her parents are proud of her success. Due to her age she is not yet engaged meaning she may have the chance to

choose the life she wants to lead with the help of Sambhali’s empowerment. She has the dream that one day she will

be an English teacher. To teach her brothers English and eventually give girls like herself an education. In the

afternoon she usually sits around and with a sewing machine she would love make all the clothes for her family.

   

Roshan, 19

Time at Sambhali: 6 months

Rosana has a family of five people, her two brothers, two sisters and mother. Rosana’s father passed away one

month ago; therefore her oldest brother who is 16 was forced to drop out of school and financially support the

family. He earns 700 RS per day (12 USD) as a construction worker.

Before Rasana’s time at Sambhali she spent most of her time in her 1 bedroom house – cooking and cleaning for

her family. Now she is learning something new everyday and feels good about her level of knowledge. So ‘thank

you’ she says.

Her favourite thing to do is to dance and most days she teaches the women and girls different traditional and

modern Hindi dances that she is unable to perform outside in front of men. She also enjoys learning different

self-defence techniques, as she believes she is too thin and weak whereas in class she feels confident and strong.

When asked if she could fight outside Sambhlai’s walls she responded ‘of course!’.

She would eventually like to become financially independent and to help her widowed mother support her

family. She knows that a sewing machine is the only realistic step towards this.

   

Sameem, 35

Time at Sambhali: 6 months

Sameem performed over 8 hours of housework a day as her four children were growing up, Then after 3 of her

children began school, her small 2-room house became lonely and she often felt useless. Her husband earns 500 RS

(10 USD) per day to support 6 people.

She believes that if she had a sewing machine she could make clothes for her family, neighbours and eventually sell

to the community. As a child she was unable to attend school as she was married at the age of 16. With the help of

Sambhlai’s education program and overall support she feels confident and liberated for the first time in her life. Her

dream is to be able to teach her daughters sewing and English and to eventually have enough money to be able pay

for her daughter’s marriages. Her very own sewing machine will be able to make this dream come true.

   

Shamshard, 18

Time at Sambhali: 1 1/2 years

Shamshard family has eleven people; she is one of nine children, four sisters and four brothers. Her father is the sole

income earner for her family, earning around RS 700 (12 USD) per day. This is barely enough to feed and clothe

Shamshard’s large family. He does not allow any of his daughters to attend school in Jodhpur. Therefore 2 of her

sister perform Jodhpur threading (a local form of dying fabric with a traditional print) to earn a little 15-20 RS (30

cents USD) a day. Her other two sisters also attend Sambhali Brothers for Sisters Empowerment Centre.

With a sewing machine she would like to help her sisters advance their skills and earn more money for her family.

Before Sambhali she expressed that she did not have an easy childhood, now she enjoys learning, feeling safe and

meeting girls in a similar position. She especially enjoys Maths as she now feels confidant and respected when she

goes shopping at the local market and helping her family members. Her dream in life is to become a Police ‘woman’

so that she can prevent crime against women and girls and bring safety to the girls of Rajasthan. She has been with

Sambhali for one and a half years and has been patiently waiting to receive her sewing machine as she wishes to

create new designs of her own.

   

Rubina, 18

Time at Sambhali: 2 Years

Rubina lives in a one-bedroom house with her two brothers and parents. Her two brothers and father are carpenters,

together earning 2,400 (45 USD) per day. In Rajasthan this is considered a ‘lucky’ family, as there are three men to

provide for the family. The other side of this also means that due to Rubina being the only daughter she never had a

chance to attend school as her brothers were priority.

Therefore at the age of 17 Rubina was engaged to be married by the time she is 19. At Sambhali she loves meeting

women and girls in similar positions as herself and feeling apart of a safe community. Most of all she enjoys her

self-defence class as it makes her feel safe and strong. A sewing machine would mean that she could contribute to

her family’s income and show her father she is able to be independent. The first thing she will make is complete

suits for her each of her brothers and father.

   

Vayeda, 44

Time at Sambhali: 7 Months

Vayeda is 44 years old and was married at the age of 16, she now has five children; two boys and three girls. Her

husband has been unable to work for 5 years now due to a severe liver disease. Therefore her oldest son who is 22

years of age has been the sole provider for the family since he was 17. Two of her daughters are married, one at the

age of 16 and the other at 17. This was because her family needed more than one income. Her third daughter attends

Sambhali and her youngest son is 7 years old.

Before her time at Sambhali she often felt stressed and alone after her daughters married, she now has a place to

relax, sew and learn new things. She immensely enjoys watching the young girls prosper and grow and meeting the

many international volunteers. Her time at Sambhali has given here enough skills to work towards earning her own

money for her struggling family. If she had her own sewing machine she would like train herself to work for the

‘Sewing Graduates Centre’ and eventually send her 7-year-old son to school.

   

Tayyba, 17

Time at Sambhali: 2 years

Tayyba is 17 years old and is the youngest of five children; two brothers and two sisters. She is the only one un-

married. Her father does not work due to a back injury 4 years ago so her 19 year old brother is the sole provider for

her family; along with his own wife and his brother’s wife who live with them. Before Sambhali Tayyba went to

government school for 3 years until she was 12 but her family had to move house to a cheaper area due to her

fathers condition. But she was able to continue her education through Sambhlai for the past 2 years.

She believes that she has immensely improved her sewing skills and also feels confident in speaking English. She

enjoys speaking to foreigners in the English she has learnt: it impresses her friends and family. She would love to

teach her brothers and sisters to sew and her dream is to eventually become a sewing teacher. The first thing she

would make with her new sewing machine is a new pink and yellow Kurta for herself.

   

Bilkis, 16

Time at Sambhali: 1 year

Bilkis’s lives with her family of eleven people; four sisters, four brothers and her parents. Her father is the sole

provider for her family, earning RS 700 (12 USD) per day as garbage collector. Barely enough to support the family

let alone send his daughters to school. Her 4 brothers attend a government school further away and live with their

uncle. He does not allow any of his daughters to do the same. Therefore Bilkis and 3 of her 4 sisters attend Brothers

and Sisters Empowerment Centre. Before attending Sambhlai, Bilikis and 2 of her sisters performed Jodhpur

threading (a local form of dying fabric with a traditional print) to earn a little 15-20 RS (30 CENTS USD) a day. Now

she has 3 classes a day, English, Math and her favourite Self- Defence. They make her feel strong and confident both

physically and mentally. Her dream is to one day own her own Math business. To achieve this her own sewing

machine will teach her certain business skills to work towards her dream.

   

SISTERS FOR SISTERS EMPOWERMENT CENTRE

Established in March 2012, Sambhali Trust provided an educational and recreational

programme of activities for girls in this shelter home run by the Social Justice and Empowerment Department.

Naina , 16

Time at Sambhali: 7 months

Naina lives with her three sisters, two brothers, her parents and her grandparents. Her house has two rooms, one

bedroom and a kitchen for her entire family of 9 people. Her father is a musician at special functions and earns

around 4,000 RS (65 USD) a month to feed, clothe and pay the rent for Naina’a family. None of her siblings

attend school as her brothers are too young and will eventually have to earn money for the family. Her father

disapproves of giving his daughters formal education.

Before Sambhlai she used to feel bored spending her days inside the house and grew too old to play with the kids

on the street. She desired an education and heard about Sambhlai’s work. Now after 7 months her favourite aspect

of Sambhlai is leaning English from the wonderful international volunteers and she would love to be an English

teacher one day. Her dream is to be able to eventually own a small house for her future family. This is something

that is achievable if she is able to learn how to become financially independent with the help of her very own

sewing machine.

   

Nagma, 40

Time at Sambhali: 7 Months

Nagma was married when she was 17 and now at the age of 40 has three sons, all of which attend a government

school. Her husband earns 700 RS (11 USD) a week and they live in a 2-bedroom house with an outside kitchen.

Between the school fees, rent, food there is not a lot left for Nagma to buy new clothes for herself or her family.

She would like to help her husband by making clothes for the family and eventually sell to the outside

community.

Before Sambhlai she used to attend to her family and household chores for around 8 hours a day but now her

boys attend school so she used sit in her home a lot and her boredom even led to her ‘killing many mosquitoes’

she explains. Now she feels that everyday she is learning something new and she feels worthy. She used to make

simple bracelets, earning as little as 30 RS per day but she hopes with a sewing machine she can finally earn

more money of her own and help her children have a better education than she had. Her dream is to own her own

home and have the money to marry and pay the dowry for her daughter who is now 17.

   

Shamma,  27  Time  at  Sambhali:  7  months  

Shamma has been married for 11 years, since the age of 16 . She lives with her two boys, her husband and

mother and father in law. Her youngest son is 8 years old and her oldest is 9 and they both attend a government

school. Her husband is a Hindi teacher at a local school in Jodphur, receiving RS 5000 (80 USD) per month. She

would very much like to help her husband financially and believes after her 7 months of sewing classes she has the

skills to begin her own small business. With her own money she explained that she would like to

buy her sons toys and sweets for doing well at school. She never thought she would have the chance to receive an

education and is utterly grateful for Sambhali. She feels refreshed and good about herself and most importantly,

independent.

   

Parveen, 31

Time at Sambhali: 6 months

Rajeem has been married for 10 years and has only one daughter who does not attend school but is a student of

Sambhali. Her husband does not work therefore they live with her father and mother-in-law and 7 other extended

family members. Her father-in-law works as a cosmetics seller and does not earn enough to support the entire

extended family. They live in a house with 2 bedrooms and 1 kitchen for a total of 12 people, surviving on 1

income. Before coming to Sambhlai Rajeem and her daughter would often sit around day after day and had little

respect with in their community as they were unable to earn money. If Rajeem had a sewing machine of her own

she would like to sew clothes to support her husband and daughter. She already has design concepts for new

clothes and accessories she wishes to make. She feels she will gain admiration from those around her and it will

bring her one step closer to her dream of sending her daughter to a private school.

   

Mumta, 32

Time at Sambhali: 7 months

At the age of 19 Mumta had her first child, now at 32 she has three sons. Her family is therefore considered a

‘lucky’ family. Lucky in the future but currently it is a burden for her and her husband, as they must send them too

school. Her husband is a construction worker and earns only 400 RS (7 USD) per day. For her family of five this is

barely enough to pay for rent and food. Before attending Sambhlai she used to cut dry fruit to help her receiving as

little as 20-30 RS (30 Cents USD) per day to help her family. She knows she has the skills, knowledge and spare

time to sew at home. She could assist her family and support her husband by earning money that would allow her

sons to stay in school. She loves watching the girls and women of Sambhlai prosper and grow and hopes that the

next generation of Sambhali women and girls will have more of a chance to be financially independent.

   JODHPUR EMPOWERMNET CENTRE

Sambhali’s main base, this empowerment centre started in 2007 and provides a

vocational training programme for 35 women and girls as well as tuition in Hindi, English and Maths.

Moona , 15 Time at Sambhali : 1 year

Moona lives with her three brothers, two sisters, mother, father, sister-in-law, and her niece. Her father is no longer able to work as he is often ill. Her oldest brother is 20 years old and is the sole provider for her family making 3000 to 4000 rupees (48 to 65 USD) per month as a garbage collector. Moona dreams of buying her family a new home. Only Moona, her brother and her sister-in-law are able to sleep inside their home. The others in her family sleep outside, even during the monsoon season, because their home is too small. Moona wishes to care for her family by buying a bigger home with the money she earns from sewing clothes with her new sewing machine. Sambhali has made many positive changes to Moona’s and her family’s life. Her brothers and sisters are able to go to school with a scholarship given to them by Sambhali and her father’s medical care was paid for by Sambhali. Moona feels much better about her life after coming to Sambhali. She has been at the Jodhpur Empowerment Centre for one year and is learning English, maths, self-defense and sewing. Her favorite subjects are sewing and self-defense. Moona said after she learns English and sewing, she will be able to care for her family. She dreams of being able to express her gratitude in English to the teachers and volunteers of Sambhali one day. The first things Moona will sew with her new sewing machine are clothes for her family.

   

Pooja , 16 Time at Sambhali : 1 year

Pooja lives with her four brothers, two sisters, father and mother. Pooja is married, but does not live with her husband's family. Her father cleans garbage for a living, but he does not give his income to his children or wife. Her mother is the sole-provider for her family, making 2000 rupees (32 USD) per month as a house cleaner. Most of Pooja's family has to sleep outside, because her home is too small for her whole family to sleep inside. The money she earns from sewing and selling clothes will allow her to buy a bigger home for her family. She dreams of studying more, as well as earning enough money to support her family. Pooja is learning how to sew Kurtas, Salwaars, and traditional Rajasthani dress. Her family is very strict with her so she is not allowed to leave her home to work. A sewing machine at home means that she can earn money from home to support her family. Pooja loves all of the subjects she is learning, but if she had to choose one favorite, it would be self-defense. The first thing she will sew when she gets her new sewing machine at home is clothes for her sister’s 5 year old daughter.

   

Aarti , 16 Time at Sambhali : 1 year

Aarti lives with her three brothers, three sisters, father and mother. Aarti is married, as well as are her three sisters. Her father is a trash collector and earns 2000-3000 rupees (32 USD to 42 USD) per month. Her home is too small for her whole family to sleep inside, so the four sisters sleep inside to keep them safe. Aarti used to stay at home doing housework before she came to Sambhali to learn English, Hindi, math and sewing. Aarti has been at the Jodhpur Empowerment Center for one year and is now able to read, write and sew clothes, including kurtas and salwaars. Her favorite subject is English. Aarti dreams to be fluent in English and teach English and maths to her brothers who are not in school. Aarti does not do anything after coming home from the empowerment centre, so with a sewing machine she would be able to practice her skills at home, make clothes for her family and earn an income by selling the clothes she makes. This income would allow her to move her family into a bigger home, so that they can all sleep inside. To Aarti, a new sewing machine means a home for her family where they can all sleep inside.

   

Kiran, 40 Time at Sambhali : 1 year

Kiran lives with her husband and her three sons who are 18, 12, and 10 years old in a small home that has no roof. All of her sons are in school, however, one of her sons is mentally disabled and goes to a special school to care for his needs. Her husband works but has a drinking problem. He only provides her family with 2000 rupees ($32 USD) a month because he spends the rest of his earnings on alcohol. In order to take care of her family, Kiran works as a road sweeper making 1500 rupees ($24 USD) per month after transportation costs (500 rupees a month). Kiran wakes up at 4 am to travel 20 minutes to work, comes home to cook her family’s lunches, then drops off her mentally disable son at school and finally is then able to Sambhali’s Jodhpur Empowerment Centre. After the empowerment center, she picks up her son from school and returns home to do housework. If she had a sewing machine at home, she could stay at home to earn money for her family, which would save her 500 rupees a month in transportation costs. A new home for her family is Kiran's dream. Her older son dreams of continuing his education, which he can not do without money to pay for the fees. Kiran said that she will do anything to make his dreams come true. For Kiran, a new sewing machine means a new home and fulfilling her son’s dream of continuing his education.

     

Thank  you  for  reading  the  stories  of  our  wonderful  women  and  girls.    

       

If  you  wish  to  donate  please  visit  our  website:  http://www.sambhali-­‐trust.org/  

 Or  email  us  at:  admin@sambhlai-­‐trust.org    

     

Yours  truly,    

Sambhali  Trust