Sambhali Trust: our Boutique

Come Shop With Us!

Did you know...

 That at all of our centres our students learn many different sewing and embroidery techniques.

Did you know...

That each one of our students receives a sewing machine once they graduate.

This means...

That not only do our students have the opportunity to practice and improve their sewing skills while attending Sambhali Trust, but it also gives them the chance to make their own income afterwards.

At two of our empowerment centres - Brothers for Sisters & The Graduate Sewing Centre -our students work hard to produce beautiful and trendy Indian and Western style pieces.

Each item is ethically handmade by our students with love!

 Not to mention, the color, fabric and style options can be customized exactly to your liking!

All profits go directly back into the organization and help to purchase teaching supplies for the centres, sewing machines for graduate students or into the student scholarship fund - to name a few!

These profits allow Sambhali Trust to continue being self-sustainable.

All of our products are available for purchase locally in Jodhpur at our Sambhali Boutique, located in the centre of the city.

But you can also purchase them online as a wholesaler or for yourself to enjoy!

To find out how, simply e-mail  boutique@sambhali-trust.org 

Shopping with Sambhali Trust means shopping ethically, honestly and sustainingly.

And there's no better feeling than that!

Meet our colorful Centres!

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off of our souls" 

- Pablo Picasso

At Sambhali Trust, we know how important an inspiring work environment is, and we want all of our students to be able to learn in a positive and colorful space. 

So for the past few weeks, we have been working very hard at decorating the walls of our centres.

Here's some of the art that our students and volunteers have created so far!

Sambhali Laadli Empowerment Centre

The students and volunteers, Anita and Morgan, worked together to paint this beautiful tree with "leafs" of their hand prints. 

The painting brings more life to the otherwise dark walls and reminds the girls about the community that they are apart of at Sambhali.

They also painted artwork of women doing different professions, such as a nurse, lawyer and tennis player to name a few!

This is a constant reminder that with education, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to!

Brothers for Sisters Empowerment Centre

Here, our students and volunteers painted the walls with quotes from an inspirational girl that we all know and love - Malala Yousafzai!

She is an inspiration to our students!

 What better way to remember the importance of education than to allow the students to read her words as they study.

Jodhpur Empowerment Centre

On a recent Workshop Wednesday, the students at JEC made Dream Collages. They cut pictures and inspirational words from newspapers and then glued them to paper.

Our students dreams varied with everything from owning their own home, travelling the world, being a doctor, having a family, and winning Miss India!

No matter what their dream was, big or small, we encouraged them that by continuing their education and working hard they can and will accomplish these dreams!

We decorated the walls of the center with these dreams in order to keep that inspiration to study hard. 

To learn more about Sambhali Trust, check our our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/SambhaliTrust/

Wednesday Workshop with Tamu Bakery!

On Wednesdays We Workshop!

Usually, the volunteers coordinate different interactive workshops for our students to participate in every Wednesday. These workshops range in subjects; from yoga classes to PowerPoint presentations about the importance of learning English to lessons on global warming.

However this past Wednesday, we were fortunate enough to welcome women's rights activist, Yana Spencer, to Sambhali Trust to bake with our students while discussing human rights, gender based violence and human trafficking. 

Yana operates a donation-based, charity bakeshop in Sri Lanka called Tamu Bakery. All the proceeds received from her baking go to fund the empowerment workshops that she puts on for women around the world. 

Yana told us that when discussing gender issues that oppress women, it helps to incorporate baking because, 

"Nobody can say no to cookies!"

Yana visited four of our empowerment centers - Sisters for Sisters, Brother for Sisters, Laadli and Shakti - where she taught our students how to bake a healthy and nutritious cookie with ingredients that are accessible to them. After sampling the cookies during class, each student was also sent home with some raw dough so that they could bake the cookie at home and share it with their families.

Yana inspired our girls to stand up for their rights and to fight for their dreams! She encouraged them to continue pursuing their education because it is their right as a human being! And she told them how powerful women can be when they stand together! 

Thank- you Yana! 

For more information, check out www.tamubakery.org

Meet our volunteer Nicola!

Meet our volunteer Nicola!

At Sambhali Trust, we are fortunate enough to have volunteers from all over the world come and join our empowerment team! 

Some volunteers come to Sambhali through organizations that we have partnered with, whereas others have discovered us through their own research.

Regardless of how they've arrived, they each add knowledge, enthusiasm and passion to our many centers. 

So who are these amazing people willing to volunteer their time to help the women of Jodhpur?

Let us introduce you....

10 Questions with Nicola Walker

1. Where are you from? Originally from Wales but living and working in London, England. 

2. What do you do back home? I was a director at an organization called the Confederation of British Industry, which lobbies the UK Government on business issues in attempt to create a more prosperous economy for all. 

3. What inspired you to volunteer? I wanted a change in my career and thought that rather than going from one full-time job to the next, why not take a few months out and do something completely different while still using my skills. I'm also a trustee at a women's refuge in the UK and I wanted to explore what effect my knowledge and experience could have on a beautiful country like India before applying such skills to my commuter life!

4. How long are you working at Sambhali Trust? I'll have been here for two and a half months once I leave at the end of April. It's passed far too quickly!

5. What's your volunteering position? I am helping Sambhali on several fronts, including preparing the annual report, changing the way we present the organization to make it more accessible for new audiences and our valued donors, and finding ways to link, either through partnerships or financial assistance, the thriving business community in Jodhpur with the Trust. I have also prepared a number of workshops for the volunteers to use in the empowerment centers that range from simple business and communication skills, to the importance of education, to teaching the students how to articulate their future goals. 

Nicola visiting with women from one of Sambhali's many projects, as she prepares educational workshops for them

6. Best part about living in India? That wonderful moment when you meet another woman in the streets and she see that you are not only a woman as well but also a Westerner and she breaks out in the biggest smile possible!

7. Describe Jodhpur in one sentence. Nothing like the trousers.

8. You can only eat one Indian food for the rest of your life, what is it? Pav bhaji - so naughty but so good!

9. Favorite place to travel to in India? Udaipur for the beautiful water and views!

Nicola on a weekend trip away from Jodhpur

10. Fill in the blank...To me, Sambhali Trust is all about _________ 

Harnessing the strength and resolve of women to improve the lives of their daughters. 

Interested in becoming a volunteer like Nicola? 

Check out our website for more information!

http://www.sambhali-trust.org/volunteers/index.html

Meet our volunteer Constance!

Meet our volunteer Constance!

At Sambhali Trust, we are fortunate enough to have volunteers from all over the world come and join our empowerment team! 

Some volunteers come to Sambhali through organizations that we have partnered with, whereas others have discovered us through their own research.

Regardless of how they've arrived, they each add knowledge, enthusiasm and passion to our many centers. 

So who are these amazing people willing to volunteer their time to help the women of Jodhpur?

Let us introduce you....

10 Questions with Constance Von Igel

Constance surrounded by some girls from the Boarding Home, where she assists them with their homework and provides advice for their personal lives 

1. Where are you from? Sao Paulo, Brazil.

2. What do you do back home? I'm currently on my gap year before starting University in the fall.

3. What inspired you to volunteer? The idea of getting away and helping people simultaneously was very appealing to me.

4. How long are you working at Sambhali Trust? Two months.

5. What projects do you volunteer at? I'm an English and Maths teacher at Shakti and a volunteer at the Boarding Home. 

Constance with some of her students at the Shakti Empowerment Center - Sambhali Trust's 16th ongoing project

6. Best part about living in India? How I am able to find a lot of peace within its chaos.

7. Describe Jodhpur in one sentence. Home away from home.

8. You can only eat one Indian food for the rest of your life, what is it? Biryani rice with pomegranate seeds for garnish! 

9. Favorite place to travel to in India? Looking forward to seeing the Taj Mahal in Agra and Varanasi!

10. Fill in the blank... To me, Sambhali Trust is all about _____

Helping women like myself get the opportunities that have been offered to me on a silver platter throughout my life but are often inaccessible to them. It is about empowering women to believe that they too have the potential to achieve great things!

Interested in becoming a volunteer like Constance? 

Check out our website for more information!

http://www.sambhali-trust.org/volunteers/index.html