Last year we had the absolute privilege to go to Freeset Fabrics. It is in an old cinema building in a distant village in West Bengal. The streets are dusty and crowded. Upstairs above the main intersection in town is the old cinema building now filled with weaving looms. Here some rural women in this community are finding freedom. We had invested in a project to enable some young women to gain the skills to take roles in a new enterprise which is giving them the skills, income and confidence and is was incredibly moving to listen as they shared their stories.
A quote from the latest Freeset news update says…
“If I did not work here at Freeset Fabrics, my family and I would all die from poverty.”
– Aruna
Within 2 years of weaving scarves, she is now one of the best weavers at Freeset Fabrics. She’s extremely motivated and encouraged by the impact working at Freeset Fabrics has created in her life. She’s able to buy nutritious food for her two daughters, pay for her mother’s operation, install a water tap in her home, and now plans to build a new home. She has dreams! Despite being in a culture that struggles with seeing a woman equal to a man, Aruna realized for herself that she is equal to a man. She understands her value as an individual and as a woman now.
You can read more here.