First Impressions on 21st January 2008
Ms. Edwina Alva


Having been at the Sambhali Project in Jodhpur for 4 days our first impressions can be summed up as follows:

The accommodation for the project is excellent. The room is light, airy, clean and welcoming. There are language posters displayed and sewing machines available, both of which are valuable resources. There is also some evidence of the girl’s artwork on the walls which is interesting.

The girls we have met (approximately 20 in total varying in age from 8 to around 24 years with a predominance of teenage women-mainly single but some married) have been extremely friendly and appear happy. They seem to enjoy their time at the Sambhali Trust evidenced by lots of laughter.

We have been welcomed and have shared small amounts of our knowledge with the group in one to one situations (some embroidery techniques, reading skills and English language comprehension). We have also been involved in group activities: singing, dancing and games.

We have seen a small range of the craft products made by the project participants, and in particular the wall hanging pieces they are working on: elephants in appliqué then embroidered.

To enhance the performance of the Sambhali Trust’s project at Jodhpur we would suggest the following actions could be taken.

There is a sign outside the guest house which mentions the Sambhali Trust and its aim to empower women. However, there is no sign anywhere else. It might be a good idea to have a sign either on the ground floor, or outside the project room, which the women create for themselves. This promotes a sense of ownership of the project. This form of action - ownership and identification - are important aspects of empowerment.

The work created by the girls could be more in evidence for example drawing, sewing, writing displayed on the walls. Furthermore a photo display of each individual participant with her name and the date when she joined the project would be extremely valuable. Again this promotes a sense of belonging to enhance identity a prerequisite for empowerment.

The story of the project could be displayed for visitors and new participants and volunteers. For example it’s origins, progress and achievements.

Evidence that this is a collective endeavor would be valuable. At present it would appear that the girls wait for Govind or a volunteer to make all decisions as opposed to initiating action for themselves and taking an active part in the project’s running and direction. This might be a valuable path to true empowerment for participants.

Achieving empowerment we believe requires participation in all decisions making processes and the sharing of knowledge. This could be achieved for example by guidance from the advanced students with the less advanced. For example Monica (one of the most able participants) might be encouraged to teach and mentor some of the less advanced participants. There are also other women with more advanced sewing skills who could be encouraged to share their skills.

An important element in the empowerment process is the recognition and celebration of skills acquired. The “feel good” factor. The participants would benefit significantly from such recognition. Sharing skills and recognition for doing so is one of the ways this might be achieved.

On a purely practical level perhaps a few baskets for storing craft materials would be useful in the room itself.

One of the major weaknesses of the project at Jodhpur could be seen as its heavy reliance on volunteer participation for innovation, direction and continuation. A clear direction with more professional input to create clear goals for the project would be invaluable. Everybody (volunteers, participants, Trustees, visitors, professional teachers) need a clear working definition of “empowerment” to enable the Trust to really excel and achieve change.

In conclusion, from what we have observed during our short visit we believe the Sambhali Trust has made some excellent progress to date and has admirable intentions. From this small seed we hope that a great tree will grow.