Why You Must Support Project WHY |#GivingTuesday

A few days back I got to know about Project Why from a fellow-blogger, Damyanti Biswas, who spoke about Anouradha Bakshi and her Project Why Women’s Centre, which needed some urgent help to sustain their community development initiatives. Subsequently, a group of bloggers who were keen to spread the word, decided to join hands with Damyanti, to help raise the much-needed funds by blogging about this project via the Giving Tuesday Initiative, a global giving movement, which Project Why happens to be a part of.

What is Project WHY?

In many cities and towns in India. women are often the target of domestic violence and abuse, wherein survival becomes the biggest challenge they face. Project Why is a non-profit that addresses the needs of these underprivileged women by empowering them to face life head-on. To this end, Project WHY equips these women with skills needed to become changemakers within their own households so they can support themselves and their children. The Project WHY sewing circle is part of this very initiative. 

Every year, this nonprofit reaches out to 1200 children and 160 women. Since 2007, the Project WHY Sewing Circle has been instrumental in changing the lives of hundreds of women. Among them is a brave soul named Renu Karotia, who is their sewing teacher—a woman who is leading change by teaching women to be self-reliant and become the agent of change they wish to see in their lives.

Renu’s Story

Six years ago, when she joined Project Why, Renu had lost her home and incurred huge debts. Her husband had got retrenched after an incapacitating work accident.

Being unskilled, she had very few options. It was only after joining the Project Why sewing class, that Renu started taking small jobs at home, eventually growing into the role of a sewing teacher and teaching other women to take charge of their lives. 

She is now paying back her debts and knows that she holds the key to her future in her hands. Her children study at the after-school support classes run by Project Why. Today, Renu is looking at developing the skills of her students through a six-month programme, that will enable them to find employment in the garment industry. 

The sewing circle of Khader began its activities over 10 years ago in Madanpur Khader, one of the many villages that dot New Delhi. Since then over 1000 women have been trained by Project Why. It has been a resounding success, what with over 80% of the women now gainfully engaged in various activities, within their homes and even outside. Today, Project WHY is looking at honing their skills further and for this, they require the following:

Iron – 1,000/-

Interlocking machine – 4,400/-

Pico machine – 5,600/-

Ironing board – 2,000/-

Cutting table – 4,000/-

Renu’s 6-month’s salary – 60,000/-

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Total amount needed – 77,000/-

Why You Should Donate

Women such as Renu are the true agents of change and helping them find the means to earn a livelihood goes a long way in transforming the lives of their families. At Project WHY, Renu and her students not only practice sewing but also learn to read and write which will empower them. When women are empowered, domestic violence drops, and the next generations find access to better education.

Follow this link to know more about www.projectwhy.org. and make a donation here. Your contribution, no matter how small, will drive this noble initiative forward and enable these women to find employment in the garment industry where such skills are needed. 

How to Contribute:

If donating from India, you are eligible for a 50% tax deduction under section 80G, and the entire account would be put up on the project WHY website once the amount is raised. You can also donate in different currencies like USD and pounds—all you have to do is change the currency at the top right of the screen. If donating from the U.S., you may donate to Project Why via Omprakash which is a tax-exempt non-profit organization, registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

So, go ahead and make a difference. If all of us do our bit, think of how much it will all add up to. If you must help, do it now. There’s never a better time to do our bit and leave this world a better place. As they say, every little helps!