You're Going to Hear Us ROAR!

Like thunder, Katy Perry’s 2013 pop hit ‘Roar’ has been shaking the ground over the past few months here at Sambhali Trust. In every spare hour, each centre has been practicing their part in our video to this empowering track; stomping, roaring and letting out the tigress that lives in each and every one of them.

Perry is a strong, independent female icon who recently turned her feminist status up a notch at the March on Washington. On January 21st, she flew a jet of women (including Senator of California, Kamala Harris) to show their support in DC, marching with Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation and acclaimed leader in women’s health and reproductive rights in the US - she’s no longer sitting quietly.

Perry famously stated that “If you believe in yourself, you can be anything” and as a previous Woman of the Year Award winner, she’s definitely got our vote. We chose her power anthem because it supports Sambhali’s on-going mission: to encourage women’s self-confidence in Rajasthan and support their journey to independence. ‘Roar’ represents a turning point in Perry’s life when she ‘went from zero to [her] own hero’, something that the women and girls are a step closer to each day they visit Sambhali’s centres. No matter what social position our women are in, they come together every day to gain invaluable vocational skills and an education to increase their career prospects, giving them a chance at achieving social and economic freedom.

As the girls and women attend the screening of the finished video, the sound of laughter fills the room. Everyone’s eyes are glued to the screen and as they see themselves and their sisters singing, dancing and smiling into the camera, I can’t help but smile – the happiness that comes from their strength is infectious! These women who stand united despite their circumstances are imperative to the future of the female, something that is especially significant in the current climate, speaking of both India and globally.

Thank you for standing with us in support of women’s empowerment - we’ve already brushed off the dust of 2016 and we’ve got so much planned for the coming year!


By Sophie Levens