Women empowerment in Rajasthan: Sambhali Trust

Sambhali Trust is a grass-roots organization that has been founded in 2007 by Govind Rathore. It has the goal to strengthen the position of underprivileged women and girls in the society of Rajasthan. At the moment, the NGO with headquarters in Jodhpur is reaching around 600 women by giving them access to education (reading and writing in Hindi, basics of English, vocational qualification), programs of income generation and workshops about health and women's rights.

Sambhali's projects have the aim to promote self-esteem, independence and unity to women who are living in a patriarchal society. Due to traditional gender roles and religious custom these women have little or no access to education and income, making poverty and persecution for them a fact of life. Sambhali Trust is working to change this.

At the two empowerment centres of Sambhali and Payal/Jodhpur, girls and women are being taught from Monday to Saturday in handcraft skills such as sewing, embroidery, block-printing and beadwork. There are also professional tutors teaching basic literacy in Hindi, Maths and English and much of the focus aims at personality development and team-building. Workshops are given on women's rights and aspects of health and nutrition.

The Setrawa Empowerment Centre is located around 100 km outside of Jodhpur in the Thar desert. Just like at the two urban empowerment centres, the women in Setrawa are being taught vocational skills; but the centre also gives school classes to children who don't attend school (reading, writing, English, Maths, personality development, general knowledge). Additionally, in the afternoon support with their homework is being given to children who do attend school.

If girls don't meet the expectation at school, they are usually released from school - Sambhali is trying to avoid this. 36 girls are being paid their school fees. Many of these children's family's don't have water at their houses, so the first thing that volunteers usually do in the morning is washing the children and brushing their teeth.

Women who after 2 years graduate from the Empowerment Centre have the opportunity to get a micro-credit without interest through Sambhali's Sheerni microfinance program, which allows them for instance to buy a sewing machine. Sambhali then buys from them what they are producing, selling these goods at the Sambhali Boutique, which is located in the historical city centre of Jodhpur. The products are targeting tourists and include kurtas (Indian tops), salwaars (baggy Indian trousers), women’s blouses, hand-block printed scarves and curtains, Rajasthani tablecloths, make-up purses, wash-bags, decorative elephants and camels, cushion-covers and jewelry. The revenue generated provides an income to the women and guarantees the continuation of the program.

79 women from Setrawa and 24 women from Jodphur have been participating at the Sheerni microfinance project. All of them successfully produce goods and could pay back their micro-credit.

With Sambhali Trust and the tour operator SITA/KUONI we are carrying out our theater project in Jodhpur.

As a volunteer and intern at Sambhali, various activities and focuses are possible, both with the children in Setrawa as with the women in Jodhpur and Setrawa. Sambhali is only interested in participants who are serious and fully committed. To define what exactly they will be doing at Sambhali, they should communicate their interest and hobbies, such as teaching women in arts and handcrafts, health and hygiene, or gardening; or educating children in reading and writing.

Info box:

Location: Jodhpur/Setrawa, Rajasthan, India

Duration: minimum 1 month

Previous experience required: No

Costs: Trouble-free package is optional

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Not included

Included: Contact and contact person; when booking our "trouble-free package, all services of the trouble-free package are included.

Not included: Travel, insurance, visa.

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