Sambhali Trust in June 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

The Child Welfare Committee of Jodhpur and administrative people from the department of Social Justice and Empowerment visited the boarding home program today. This program operates under the Sambhali Sheerni educational program. The team came for an inspection which would allow Sambhali Trust a certificate after registering with Juvenile Justice Act. It went very smooth and we are excited that someday we will be able to open our own orphanage or shelter for girls.

We were glad to have three young volunteers from Jodhpur who are students of Law. They came to share their knowledge with us by giving workshops at the Sambhali Jodhpur empowerment center. Our participants were very happy and asked many questions. The workshops were related to Women Rights, Child Rights, Human Rights and to know how to file a police complaint and getting around a Police station.

20 embroidered samples that were made by the women from the Sambhali Jodhpur Empowerment Centre were exhibited as part of the Wylye Valley Art Trail in the UK in May. Isobel Scott-Clarke who volunteered with us for a month, kindly framed and displayed the samples and a few pieces sold as part of a fundraising exercise for Sambhali Trust.

Setrawa participants:

Meet Rani Devi of Setrawa village, participating in Sambhali Sheerni women self-help group project. She is 45 years old, her husband died of tuberculosis one and half year ago, he worked at the earth quarry digging out stone. Rani is mother of nine children, 4 of her children are child married. Rani is from Dalit community and begs in the village for living. Rani is sick with chest pain and we have been hosting her in Jodhpur taking care of her sickness. We are motivating Rani to take loan from the self-help group and start a small business for her family and to stop begging. Her youngest child is 8 years old.

Scholarship Program:

We believe education is key to success.. We have sponsored about 125 children in good private schools.. Some of them came with their report cards today. 7 students passed their schools this year, 6 came in 12th this year. 2 want to become lawyer and 5 are enrolled in hotel management. Unfortunately two failed, one in 12th and one in 10th but we asked them to continue because we believe they will make difference in their lives one day.