Sevanthi was making charcoal, back-breaking work in the 45 degree heat, until she trained as a seamstress through one of our tailoring programmes. This quadrupled her earnings and is giving her children the opportunity to get an education.
Just outside of Madurai there is a community of around 2000 people who make their money by making charcoal.
To do this they cut down thorny shrub like trees in 45 degree heat and then arrange it into large piles before mixing sand with water and pouring kerosene over and burning it and then leaving it for ten days for it to become charcoal. One whole mound makes them around 1000 INR rupees (approx. £12) and can take one woman up to five months to make.
We started tailoring programmes for this community in 2019. Sevanthi was in the first class of students but she almost wasnt able to attend despite her enthusiasm because her husband was against it. One of our outreach workers visited the family and pursuaded her husband of the opportunity at hand.
She completed the course and received her sewing machine on the revolving-funds scheme and is now making money and can provide an education for her children. She is an inspiration to the other women in her village.