Faces Behind the Bags #1

This post marks the start of a series of biographies featuring the women participating in Profugo’s Tailoring Training Program. Our initiative aims to allow these women to develop skills in tailoring, spoken English, and woman empowerment and business. Each month we will feature one woman, briefly explaining her background and how working with Profugo has helped improve her standard of living. As you can imagine, the life of a woman in India is much different than that of a woman in the United States. These five amazing women (along with their teacher) have faced extreme hardships throughout their lives, ranging from poverty-to illness-to domestic unrest. Despite their struggles, they all have one thing in common: seizing the opportunity to make their lives better by participating in the tailoring school. Some of these women had never even worked before because their husband’s would not allow them to leave the village. Now they are contributing to their family income and have even become leaders in their community. It really is true that every thread has a tale!

Aishwarya

Aishwarya is 38 and has lived in Prashanthagiri her entire life. She and her husband met at work after he had recently moved to the area. He is now sick with tuberculosis and unable to work. They have two children, Alisha (who is 11) and Jaswant (who is 12). Aishwarya is a skilled builder and even helped her husband build their house. Although they are able to get the medicine her husband needs for free, they must travel a great distance to reach the nearest hospital. She has taken a serious risk by choosing to take care of him in her home, since typically someone infected with TB is isolated. For this reason, both Aishwarya and her children had to be tested for TB. Since beginning the tailoring workshop, Aishwarya’s spirits have risen. Her favorite part of sewing is stitching the Profugo label. She has expressed feeling a sense of relief upon getting involved with the tailoring school and is proud of her progress in the spoken English class. When asked what she would like to do in the future, Aishwarya responded that she is “ready for anything.”