As families are drawn out of poverty and micro-businesses expand, entire communities will benefit as jobs are created, knowledge is shared, and civic participation increases. In many cases, these Dalit men and women receive their due recognition as valuable members of society. DFN partners are funding training programs for unskilled men and women and enabling them to achieve vocational skills. This is very significant, especially for the Dalit women who are often considered the “Dalits of Dalits.” In fact, the vast majority of training and loans are directed at women. Studies have shown that women are more likely to reinvest their earnings in a business that results in the overall betterment of their family members.
LIFE STORY:
When Shaila learned that there was tailoring instruction at the local Good Shepherd School she was very excited. She realized that this was her opportunity to redeem her lost dream of learning a vocation skill and earning a better income.
Shaila is part of the second class to receive training at the Tailoring Centre. She worked diligently to learn the skill well and regularly practiced on the sewing machine available at the centre.
After graduating from the tailoring course and earning her certificate, Shaila immediately started her home based tailoring business. Today she is earning a significant income and is able to take good care of her family. Whenever she meets her friends who are struggling financially she recommends that they join the Good Shepherd Tailoring Class and gain financial empowerment.
Provide a sewing machine for $200.
These sewing machines are a key tool to empowering the Dalit women. Each sewing machines not only supports a family, it has an effect on the whole community. This project provides them with a way to escape the extreme discrimination and exploitation that they are subjected to as "the Dalits among the Dalits'.
Unskilled unemployment is extremely common across India, particularly among the Dalit women. These women, because of poverty and family pressures, have never had the opportunity to pursue an education nor a vocation. Now they are looking for opportunities to gain economic skills that will provide jobs that will enable them to support their families.
LIFE STORY:
Farhat and her husband live in the Dalit community of rock quarry workers. Their job is to
Hand-cut the huge boulders from the quarry and break them into pieces as needed for construction. This work is done by hand by using simple tools and hammers. In the heat of India, this is terrible back breaking work and wears the bodies down quickly at a young age. To be born into this community means that their only future is to be a ‘stone cutter’. There are no other dreams.
On April 2nd, the women of this community celebrated the opening of the new tailoring centre at the rock quarry, where 10 new sewing machines were provided for the centre. Now Farhat will have the opportunity to be trained in tailoring skills and will join the other ladies for sewing uniforms, ties and belts for the school children. This opportunity for these Dalit women is especially touching, since many of their children in this ‘stone cutters’ colony attend one of our Good Shepherd schools.