The Khusi Hona Lotus Center is a space for disenfranchised and unemployable women to come and learn news skills through training, employment, and business development. The foundation of this program is to build confidence, foster initiative, and create true empowerment for local women. Skilled mentors at the center work with women to develop skills in a non-formal educational setting. Without creating dependency, but rather fostering independence, this will create the opportunity to use this work as a launching pad to realizing their own visions and goals through the creation of micro-businesses, more formalized education, and/or other future endeavors of their choosing.
We currently have 8 women in our program, each from a different background. The unifying factor for each is that access to opportunities in a nation of 1.3 billion people can be challenging to secure, especially for women.
Netra joined us a little over a month ago, she walks about 3 km or about a 40 minute walk each way from her home to join us for our programs, 4 days a week monsoon rain or shine. She has excelled in both tailoring and beading and looks forward to a fruitful future from her training and experience.
Here is a brief interview with Netra about her experience at the Khusi Hona Lotus Center:
What’s your name?
Netrawati Tukara Hunashiktti
How old are you?
22 years
Where do you live?
Colva, Goa, India
How many are in your family?
Only my mother and I.
Is your current home your native home? If not, where are you originally from?
No, I am from Hayedyal, Karnataka, a poor state next to Goa.
How long have you lived in Goa?
I have been here 2 years. We came to Goa in search of employment.
What your parent’s name? Mother? Father? If either is not there then what happened to them or where are they now?
My mother’s name is Renuka and my father passed away.
What do your parents do?
My mother is an office caretaker. She makes tea and cleans the office 6 days a week.
How much do they earn monthly?
7000INR ($104.64USD)
How much is monthly rent for housing?
2000INR ($29.90USD)
What do you want to do in the future?
I would like to own my own business someday.
How did you hear about the Lotus Center?
My aunt told me about it as she works near to the Center.
Why did you want to join?
I want to learn a skill and become something in the future.
What do you like about the Center?
I like that everyone is happy and that I can learn in an open environment.
Which do you enjoy more the beading or the tailoring?
I enjoy both.
What do you want to gain out of the Khusi Hona program?
I would like the opportunity to have my own business and work for myself.
Each women that joins our program not only has an opportunity for life changing trainings, they also have the opportunity to start a small business selling the goods that we train them to make. We also encourage continued formal education to continue learning and growing in a holistic environment — We have lined up two full college and university scholarships for two young women from India, One in the US and one in Goa, India.
It is our goal to provide Netra with a bicycle to get to the Khusi Hona Lotus Center for her training and work. If we go over our projected bicycle expenses, all funds will go directly towards our women empowerment programs. Click here to learn more.
Remember, 100% of this donation goes directly to sponsoring women empowerment programs! #khusihona #feelhappy #lotuscenter #bicycle #womenempowerment
