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 Suva.
Suva’s Story of Hope and Freedom
As the only daughter, Suva’s family forced her to quit school at the age of 13 and get a job doing housework to help with family finances. From a young age, she dreamed of finding a better job and getting married. Marriage did not turn out like she expected, though.
Suva’s husband is addicted to alcohol and refuses to find a stable job. When he does work, he spends most of the money on more alcohol and leaves little for them to pay their bills or send their son and daughter to school. She said that after 10 years of marriage, she could no longer take his drinking or their constant fighting. And, one day, he came home after losing another job and kicked her out of the house. With nowhere else to go, Suva and her daughter moved in with her parents; her husband and his family refused to let their oldest son go with her.
After moving in with her parents, Suva’s mother encouraged her to take sewing classes and learn a new trade. Her mother thought it might be a good distraction from everything else that was going on with her marriage. Suva quickly learned how to sew and, after graduation, was offered employment at a Sudara partner sewing center. She happily accepted the job and told us that she now has hope for her future and the future of her children. She wants them to become doctors and help others, too.
Thank you for continuing to invest in and empower women like Suva to create a new life for herself and her children. Read more Sudara Stories here. And, find the PUNJAMMIES® we named in honor and celebration of Suva here.