Enabling tribal women to fight poverty and gender based violence by providing skill training.

She took her first flight after her familial separation in an adrenaline rush that was to become of what she stood through the years to come. The arduous effort of finding a place to live, pay rent and taking care of two little kids sent her shivers and terrified her. The tears she swallowed and the fear she hid to raise bravely her two kids on her own without any income and relying solely on a few gold ornaments she had saved from her wedding. She was dispirited by the constant struggle and had to do all kinds of odd jobs to sustain a livelihood- cooking, working as a domestic help, helper at a parlor, etc.Eventually after a few years of struggle she became a teacher where she worked throughout her career and that’s how she founded the trust HEALTH ENERGY AND REHABILITATION TRUST and became the founder chairperson of the trust. She started two projects under the trust –BASHA (ESTD: 2006)  a school for the lesser privileged children and SREEJONI (ESTD:2016) a Silai school for the tribal and local women of Bolpur (IGP Program).

 She gave birth to Sreejoni at Shantiniketan. The beneficiaries of this project would be the young and adolescent tribal and village women of Bolpur, Shantiniketan. They were shy and scared to come but after a few sessions with them they were convinced of their prospects and eventually became our first trainees with a meager stipend of Rs.20 per day. The main aim of this program was to enhance the quality of life of women through increased knowledge and skills. She also realized that merely imparting literacy would not be sufficient. The women need vocational training to uplift their status. They should be able to stand on their own feet and be an earning member of their family. Most, tribal face a number of challenges which they need to overcome in order to improve their status in the society.

The impact of the school started could be found in seeing tribal girls stitching clothes for their village clients from Sreejoni at present and are hoping to build their own set up with the help from this skill school. There are others who try to sell their products to their “Malkins” where they work as a caretaker.