Sewing the Seeds is a women’s empowerment initiative that utilises education and creativity through the enterprise of safe and sustainable employment to break the cycle of poverty for Indian women from marginalised communities. With your support, each and every Daughters of India purchase is contributing to their powerful initiatives!

Sewing the Seeds work alongside two other non-profit organisations, Samugam and Jaly Home, to ensure many women, children, families, and their communities are provided with safe living and working conditions.

Non-proft Organiser Bruno (left) with a member of Sewing the Seeds (right).

Based in Pondicherry, India, the Samugam Foundation is committed to supporting disadvantaged communities in the local area and works hard towards creating a more sustainable future for the people that live in these communities. Bruno Savio, who runs the non-profit organisation, is the driving force behind the long relationship between Sewing the Seeds and Samugam. 

Bruno works closely with many women and their families from tribal and nomadic communities who experience severe hardship in poverty, such as those with disabilities, disaster and domestic violence victims, and those who have felt a need to resort to sex work and begging to support their livelihoods. Samugam provides education, adequate health-care, and new employment opportunities to ensure safe living and working alternatives. 

In addition to the Samugam Foundation, Bruno established Jaly home in 2008. Jaly Home is a refuge and safe space for children who are at risk in many of these communities. Through providing a safe living environment, food, health-care, and education, Jaly Home offers a brighter future for many orphaned and disadvantaged children.

Bruno and Gayle created Sewing the Seeds together as a women's empowerment project in 2013. Sewing the Seeds have given access to nearly 200 local and rural women to break the cycle of poverty that they were born into. Mothers, widows, single mothers, women who experience domestic violence, women with disabilities, and young women from Jaly Home, all have the opportunity and choice to learn sewing, screen printing, fashion design and other new and valuable skills to achieve economic independence in a safe and inclusive environment. 

Gayle (centre right) with women of Sewing the Seeds.

Samugam, Jaly Home, and Sewing the Seeds are all intrinsically linked in their operations. Sewing the Seeds has been developed as a means for the women of these communities to access safe work, which directly supports the children of Jaly Home and initiatives of the Samugam Foundation.

With the support of our donations, Sewing the Seeds have been busier than ever tending to the substantial increase of enquiries for charitable product collaborations. They have been able to train and employ an additional four women this year and are in the process of recruiting two more. We are beyond grateful to be able to support their growth and the support this is providing to more women and children in need.

Children from Jaly Home, a refuge and safe space for children at risk. 

Niveditha

Niveditha is 23 years old and is a talented girl who struggled to complete school after year 8. After she left school she trained for three 3 months and then joined the sewing centre. Niveditha enjoys working with Sewing the Seeds because of the secure and peaceful work environment as well as the good relationship she has with the other women. She says she never thinks of even taking a day off from coming to Sewing the Seeds.

Bakyalakshmi

Bakyalakshmi is 15 years old and was born into the nomadic tribal community situated just out of Pondicherry. Her father hunts animals to sell for food and her mother sells beads on the beach for a living. Bakyalakshmi lives in Jaly home because in her community, education for girls is not encouraged. She managed to finish school at year 10 with the guidance and support of Bruno and the Samugam team. She now has the confidence that she will become a skilled sewing expert in the near future and will be able to help her parents financially.

Malathy

Malathy is a 38 year old single mother who has no support from her ex-husband and family. Malathy says that she feels emotionally more free since she has joined Sewing the Seeds, as she has previously worked in mostly male sewing centres and did not feel safe and secure in the environment. She now feels so happy to be in a friendly and caring environment since she has moved to the  Sewing the Seeds centre.

Kavitha

Kavitha is an 18 year old girl with a severe hearing and speech impediment.
Kavitha was unable to finish school after 9th grade as the school was not equipped to serve her requirements. Kavitha is able to understand through signs and lip reading and finds communication with the women in Sewing the Seeds centre comfortable as everyone is patient, helpful and inclusive.

Through providing these women with training in sewing and textiles as well as education on health and life skills, Sewing the Seeds holds space to cultivate a brighter future for these women, their families and communities, whilst also directly supporting the children of Jaly Home!

Together, Sewing the Seeds, Samugam, and Jaly Home provide life changing opportunities to hundreds of people in need. With the help of our community, each and every Daughters of India purchase is supporting these non-profit organisations. We are so grateful for each and every contribution and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

If you wish to support these non-profit organisations more, you can donate directly to Sewing the Seeds via their website.


With love,
Daughters of India x


By Ella Josephine Archer