Upskill Women & Launch Entrepreneurs in India

Namaste from Kerala

As the monsoon recedes and the hills dry in the gentle sunlight, life at our centre continues to grow in small but powerful ways. Every week, women come through our doors, some carrying babies, some tentative at first, all of them ready to take a small step for themselves.

Over the past few months, more than 70 women have joined our workshops. They come to learn, to create, and to share. Arts and crafts remain the bridge that opens trust and confidence, but what we see now goes far beyond the objects they make. Women are speaking up, sharing their experiences, and supporting each other in ways that were unimaginable just a year ago.

Meena continues her incredible journey. From her first day of fear and uncertainty, she now leads the distribution of menstrual kits to young girls in her village, making sure no one else feels the same confusion she once did. Rani, who hadn’t stepped out of her home alone in years, now guides ice-breaker games for newcomers and radiates confidence that inspires everyone around her.

Every story is unique, but the feeling is the same: these women know someone sees them, believes in them, and has invested in their growth. Your donations make this possible. The chairs, the thread, the cups of tea, the shared laughter, and the gentle guidance—they all exist because of you.

This space is more than a workshop. It is a place where confidence grows, where independence blooms, and where women start to realise that their lives can belong to them. Your support transforms quiet courage into visible change, one woman at a time.

We are also thrilled to be part of the Action Change Impact Advent Calendar this year. By purchasing your calendar today, starting December 1st, you’ll be supporting 24 amazing projects like ours, spreading hope, care, and impact every day of the season. https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/advent-2025/

From all of us at the centre, thank you for believing in these women, for helping create this space, and for being part of their journeys.

Namaste from Kerala!

In a small village tucked among Kerala’s green hills, a group of women gather each week in a shaded community hall. Some arrive with babies on their hips. Others come shyly, glancing around as if unsure whether they belong. They do.

At first, it’s simple. They sit cross-legged on mats, threading beads onto string or painting delicate designs on fabric. Their hands move cautiously at first—then more freely. Laughter bubbles up. Someone shares a story. Another nods in understanding. Someone else finally speaks. This is where it begins

Why these spaces matter

For many rural women in South India, life has been a series of silences. Silences around periods. Around sex. Around what they want for themselves. Some were married young. Some never finished school. Most have spent years putting everyone else first.

Jobs? Education? Independence? These feel like faraway ideas—not because these women aren’t capable, but because no one ever told them they could. So we start small. Gentle. Respectful.

Arts and crafts become a bridge—not just to skills, but to trust. In these sessions, women don’t just learn how to make something beautiful—they start to see something beautiful in themselves.

Then we talk. Carefully, courageously. About family planning. About periods and how to manage them with dignity. About what they wish someone had told them when they were girls - isses we know are very sensitive for many girls and women.

This past quarter, over 60 women joined our workshops for the first time. For some, it was the first time they’d been invited to focus on themselves. One woman, Meena, shared through tears that no one had ever explained what was happening to her body during her first period—she thought she was dying. Now, she helps us hand out menstrual kits to girls in her village.

Another, Rani, told us she hadn’t left her home alone in years. Now she walks to our centre every week and helps lead ice-breaker games for newcomers.

Each story is unique, but the feeling is shared: someone sees me. Someone believes I can learn. I belong here and your donations and hard earned cash that you generously give to our program really is life changing and for this all the women and I from our little centre here in India say thank you!!

This space exists because of you. The chairs. The thread. The woman who greeted Meena on her first day. The cup of tea shared at the end. The quiet voice that found its courage. Thank you for helping make all of this possible. You’ve done more than support a project—you’ve helped create a space where change doesn’t just happen… I personally feel it's a absoulte treat for myself to be apart of this and that we are able to open the doors to our centre most days because of people like you. 

With warmth and gratitude,

Padmini and our Girl Power team!