Sudara Stories: Sara

We love sharing stories of the women who, as part of a skills-training program, sew together PUNJAMMIES®. The Sudara Stories series highlights a few of these strong, amazing women. Today, we are honored to introduce Sara.

 

Sara’s Story of Hope and Freedom

Sara grew up with a father who was an alcoholic. She spent many nights hiding and trying to drown out the sound of her father hitting her mother. One night, though, Sara overheard her mother talking with a friend about no longer being able to bear the abuse from her husband. The friend suggested a job she heard about in Mumbai that paid well and provided a place to live. Sara’s mother left the next day; she was desperate to be free from the abuse she faced each night at home. However, there was never a job waiting for her mother in the city; when she arrived in Mumbai she was sold into the sex-trade. Several months later, and with no signs of her mother returning home, Sara’s father told her that he no longer wanted to care for her and walked out.

After her father left, Sara went to live with her grandmother so that she could have a safe place to live and continue her schooling. Prior to graduation, though, her grandmother became ill and could no longer provide for her. Sara had no other family in the village who could help.  She was scared that she, too, may be forced into the sex-trade after her grandmother’s death. Unsure of where else to turn, she met with a community worker who then told her about Sudara’s partner sewing centers.

Sara is currently enrolled in cosmetology courses after completing sewing courses last year. She has not yet decided what she wants to do after graduation. However, she told us that she is – for the first time – no longer scared about her future.

Thank you for continuing to invest in and empower women like Sara to create a new life for herself — a life that is free from sex-slavery and full of hope.

Read more Sudara Stories here.