Laxmi had a lot of health problems soon after her marriage. Her husband was a very kind and supportive man. He tired his very best to pay for her medical expenses but after a point it went beyond their financial capacity. He even planned on selling the house if it meant getting treatment that would make her well again. Her children were very young at that time. She remembers how the family would keep the largest portion of food for her because they wanted her health to improve. She remembers with tears in her eyes how her youngest son would look longingly at the food in her plate because he was hungry and there was not enough for him. She thought to herself that it was better for her to die than to put her family through so much difficulty. The doctors reported no improvement in her health and they gave her 5 years to live.

It was during that time that she joined CH because she thought it would help in bringing some financial stability to the home. When she had joined CH, she used to work with her child on her lap. That was 15 years ago. Now we have a crèche that has been made specially to take care of the kids of our center women while they are at work. She enjoyed the work and it took her mind away from all her problems. Her health improved slowly and steadily. Now she is the in-charge of our cooperatives. She is a very good leader and is very particular about doing her work with excellence. She is a kind but firm in-charge. She treats the others in her cooperatives as her own children. She is always early for work and sets an example for the others to follow. Today her children are grown up and doing very well. They are most grateful and proud of their mother for fighting her battles and coming out victorious. She continues to work at CH because it gives her a sense of fulfillment. She proudly shows off the picture of her financially stable and very happy family.

Anjali Tapkire was one of the first women to join Creative Handicrafts. When asked about the reason for her growth into such a confident independent woman, she says that growing with Creative Handicrafts is what has made her this way. Today Anju didi as she is fondly called is the in-charge of Asli Food. Asli Food has been set up as an alternative to the garment cooperatives, especially for those who could not pick up the tailoring skills. The women working in Asli Food prepare and distribute lunch packets to people working in offices across Mumbai. She is also the Chair Person of Creative Handicrafts. She says that it feels good to help other women.

At CH it is not a master servant relationship but each person is a stakeholder. She has played a pivotal role in identifying many disadvantaged women and showing them into CH so that they too can become independent. Now her family is financially secure and her children are also doing well. She recalls Sr. Isabel saying that coming to CH should have a therapeutic value for the women from all their lives troubles, if nothing else. From her life story and that of many others we can be sure that CH has not only fulfilled Sr. Isabel’s dreams but also gone beyond.

Rekha’s* life is an inspirational story of how she made it against the odds. She is one of the first women to join Creative Handicrafts. In the initial days Sister Isabel would teach few women to sew dolls and then they would go and sell these outside schools and churches. Whatever money they made from this small sale was their profit. Today CH has really grown. There is a designing department, a sales department, an export department, etc. The women are trained professionally and given the job of only stitching. She was happy to earn some money and moreover she loved the company of the CH women. The major difficulty was in her personal life. Her husband got married a second time because Rekha had given birth to 3 daughters but he wanted sons. This is unfortunately a problem in many households in India. The patriarchal mindset considers a son more valuable than a daughter. This left her heart broken because she felt unloved. The 2nd wife also came to live in the same house. She gave birth to 3 sons and she used to ill treat Rekha. In those difficult days CH was her only refuge. She couldn’t speak the local language but looking at her crying the other women would try to understand what she was saying and help her as much as possible. The companionship, love and support that the CH women provided her helped her get through those terrible days. She says for her CH was not about being economically independent but more it was about having someone to care for her. Even in times when she was sick and there was no one to look after her from her own family, CH women and sister Isabel would be there like real family.

Even today she can’t stop herself from crying as she recollects the hurt from her past and the deep gratitude she has for CH. Now she is a self-assured woman that is not afraid to voice her opinion. She is the in-charge of one of the cooperatives and she is on the CH board. It is said that after every dark night, there's a brighter day. She is now living in the brighter days and she is extremely grateful to all those who stood by her through think and through thin.

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the woman.

Leena* is a mature and confident woman. She is also a pro-active member of the community she lives in. She got married when she was living in the village. Her husband is an educated man but he could not get suitable employment and for this reason he came to Mumbai. She has 2 daughters and 1 son. In India the government encourages people to get a family planning operation after having 2 children. She didn’t get the tubectomy operation done after having 2 daughters because she felt that the family was incomplete without a son. She says that if she were in CH then, she would have got the operation done even though she didn’t have a son because now she understand the value of girl children much more than before. She is now a teacher in our Balwadi which is the pre-primary school. She is very good at her job and has shown leadership in many areas. She also works for our cooperative which is situated in a tribal area. She says that after joining CH she has learnt a lot.

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the woman.

Sara’s* mother was a widow and with her limited means she tried her best to provide for her children. When the time came for Sara’s wedding, her mother gave a lot of gold as dowry. She shifted to Mumbai with her in-laws and husband. She got a job in a garment company. She was good at her work but she couldn’t speak the local languages of Hindi or Marathi. She only knew her mother tongue which is Malayalam. She felt isolated and lonely in this new place. To make matters worse her in-laws kept harassing her for more dowry. Her mother couldn’t afford to pay any more but her in-laws kept insisting and tormenting her for it. She came to CH and Sr. Isabel was very supportive of her. She still didn’t know the local language and she at Ch she was earning less than before but here she felt at home. This place was safe haven for her and not just a place of work. She gained confidence over the years and her husband and in-laws became more understanding. Now her children are studying in school. Both of them are aided in their education through the sponsorship scheme. Her son just finished his 10th standard with 87% and she is so proud of how far she has come and how well her children are doing. She is also the in-charge of a cooperative and she can now speak Hindi fluently. When she looks at the newcomers who join CH she remembers the way she was when she was new and she is filled with determination to help build them into independent individuals as she has become now.

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the woman.

Preeti* is a woman of courage. If you ask her about her past, she shivers, she feels like running away from the place. Bitter memories keep coming to her mind and this pains her the most. Preeti did not continue her studies after class VI as she was not so good at studies. She got married when she was 15 years old. She knew nothing about the man she was marrying. She went to his house in the village and then she was left there with her in laws while he came to Mumbai. In the village her in-laws were constantly after her to help her husband find job. She came to Mumbai and here her real struggle started. She never received her husband’s love or care; instead she was a regular victim of domestic violence. Due to his unsteady work, she had to work even till her last stage of pregnancy. He never came to see her after her delivery when he came to know that the first child was a daughter. He threatened to leave her if she did not deliver son. His conduct towards his family was dreadful and so she decided to stay on her own with her kids in Mumbai. But somehow he traced her and moved in with her. He never showed his love and concern as a husband. The last time she saw with him was when her father in- law had come to see them. Under the pretence of seeing his father off at the railway station, he never came back to her. Although her parents supported her, they felt that she was burden to the family. It was in this stage of her life that she met Sr. Isabel.

Once Sr. Isabel heard her story, she gave her new direction in life and helped her in every way possible. Unfortunately as soon as her husband came to know that she was helped by Sr. Isabel, he traced her. On his request, Sister helped him also get a job as a gardener. But there too he could not hold on to his job due to his alcoholic behavior. On top of that he complained about her, her character and asked Sr. Isabel to help him get a divorce. She asked him to come with the divorce papers, but to this date he never returned.

Preeti is content today without her husband. Her trauma was so awful that she does not even want to know where her husband is. Creative Handicrafts has become her great strength. She enjoys her independence as a woman and as a capable person who works and earns for herself and her family.

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the woman.

Bindia comes from a happy home. She is a very kind and gentle woman. She is on the board of CH. She is also the in-charge of one of our cooperatives. She joined CH because she realized that the cost of education was too much and it would not be possible for the children to attend good schools with just the salary of her husband. For this reason she started working here. The sponsorship scheme was also very beneficial in getting her son educated. Her daughter is now a teacher in our Bal Vikas Kendra (Child development center).

Anita* is from Mangalore, a small town in Karnataka. Her brothers brought her to Mumbai to get her married. In 1980 she got married. Fortunately, she married a nice man who was working in a small factory. They had their own house in the slums of Andheri. They had 3 daughters. After few years Girija’s husband met with a severe illness and from that time he could not work. The whole responsibility came on Girija as she had to earn money and run the expenses of house. Educating the children was a big challenge for her. Through one woman in her neighborhood, she came to know about Creative Handicrafts. She underwent the CH tailoring training for 6 months and then started working in one of the cooperatives. Putting in a lot of hard work she educated her daughters. Today, her daughter is working in a call center and helping her mother in running the household. Her eldest daughter also helped in the education of her two younger daughters. The second daughter is studying Management and the youngest one passed 12th class with very good marks and now doing Chartered Accountant course. Girija is finding her life at the different level with Creative Handicrafts.

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the woman.

Subhadra was born and brought up in Mumbai. Due to the poor economic condition of her family she could never go to school but my other siblings were fortunate to get educated. In spite of this she learnt to read and can also write her name. She got married to 23 years ago and started living with her parents along with her husband and four children. Her husband was not earning well at that time.

One day her siblings asked her to leave the parent’s place as they wanted to sell it. She had no option but to leave the house and take the money given to her for deposit to take house on rent. Her husband was a nice man. He managed to earn around Rs. 3000/- per month but, that was insufficient. She decided to come out of the four walls of her house and find means to support her family. Anju didi told her about CH and asked her to join Asli food. Her life started changing; a shy, illiterate woman turned into a confident and independent woman.

Earlier, she used to need her husband’s help for many small things like buying groceries, visiting the doctor or going out for some work. Now, she can go anywhere all alone. You just have to tell her the place and she will reach there without any hesitation. Her four children are continuing their education in schools and colleges. One of her children gets educational sponsorship from CH. She is grateful to Creative Handicrafts for this new changed life.

Pooja* is a widow living with her four daughters in a slum area. Her husband expired 8 years ago. She doesn’t have any good memories of her childhood as her mother expired when she was young and then her father got married again. Her life became more difficult as her step-mother started treating me like a servant. She got married at the age of 22, she hoped this would bring some happiness, love and security in her life. Her husband was a simple man; he worked in a company and loved their daughters. He had a bad habit of gambling and but, they were managing in the little salary that he earned. She also tried to support him by working as house-maid. They had a happy married life. Suddenly her husband passed away because of jaundice 8 years ago. She was totally shaken by this incident. Though they had their own house, she did not know much about the world outside her little house. Then someone showed her the ray of hope that is Creative Handicrafts. With this strong support she felt she could survive not matter how difficult the world around her seemed. She was living in a very small room. One can hardly sit in that room and it is hard to imagine how five members used to sleep in that congested area, with very little ventilation. But, now with the help of Creative Handicrafts her house is reconstructed and its height has been increased. Now there is one more floor where her daughters can sleep. There is more space to move, breathe and place to study for the children. Her two daughters are getting sponsored by CH for their education and she is sure they will study well and have a better future. CH gave her a place where she could share her happiness and sorrows. At CH she always has a shoulder to cry on and most importantly CH is one big family. She is very grateful to CH for making her life more meaningful.

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the woman.

Sudha*, has been working for Creative Handicrafts for the past 3-4 years. From the time she was a child, she has suffered a lot. Her family did not have proper food, shelter, education, etc. Her family lived like beggars. She studied up to 9th standard, and then I got married in 1999. She knew that it was his second marriage and that he had a daughter from his first wife. But, she felt that she was getting older and that this marriage would bring some stability and happiness in her life. She had enjoyed the initial days of married life, but the happiness did not last for long. Her husband started drinking; had an extra marital affair and her life became miserable again. They would to fight like cat and dog.

Then one day the CH social workers visited their house and had a talk with both of them. They made them realized their mistakes and then both of them decided to work hard to better their marriage. They realized that the reason behind their fights were their relatives. They sold their house and bought a new and bigger house. Now, they do not fight much and they also gave one room for rent which gives them some additional income. Their children are going regularly to schools and they are happy because they are happily living together. Sudha earns well and her husband also earns as and when he gets a job on contract. Her children are getting educational sponsorship from Creative Handicrafts.

She is thankful to Creative Handicrafts because for giving her the courage to get out of her problems and showing her the right path to live life happily with her husband, and children.

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the woman.