Empowerment Centers
Sambhali Trust Empowerment Centers provide 300 underprivileged women and adolescent girls with vocational training in sewing and embroidery along with classes in Hindi, English, math, and self-defense. They participate in workshops on a wide range of topics including health, environment, gender-based violence, international women’s rights, and how to set up a small business. Most participants have little to no formal education. By providing free education and a safe space to learn, women can openly discuss their feelings with others in the same situation – and develop a sisterhood of support. All of the women are also invited to participate in self-help (micro-finance) groups where funds are used for both emergency needs and economic development. At the end of the one-year program, each graduate receives a sewing machine so she can continue on the road to economic self-sufficiency.
There are four Empowerment Centers in the city of Jodhpur, four in the city of Jaisalmer, and one in the rural village of Setrawa. Each is associated with a Primary Education Center.