Hamari Silai Foundation (HSF) is a non-profit organisation registered under the B.P.T Act of 1950. Conceived in response to the many hardships we, the founders of Hamari Silai, witnessed our mothers experiencing through our childhood, Hamari Silai is aimed at lifing women out of poverty and, thereby, catalysing change in low income communities.
HSF centres currently operate in Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Yadgir (Karnataka). Our programme includes one-on-one and group mentoring, financial literacy and upskilling workshops as well as counselling sessions. Aside from financial independence, strategies are aimed at boosting confidence and decision-making abilities in order to encourage autonomy. It is, after all, our objective to help these women to get out of the cycle of poverty for good. These efforts have already yielded results in the form of 97 successful women-led enterprises.
Meet Kashi
Kashi Chavan, age 28, mother of two, based in Mumbai
Snapshot of success
Started HSF training in: 2020
Monthly income in 2020: INR 3,000 in a good month
Monthly income in 2023: INR 13,000, minimum, assured
Kashi now trains a batch of 30 women, who draw inspiration from her and look up to her as a role model.
Kashi’s story
By age 22, Kashi was raising two boys in a tiny hutment in Ambedkar Nagar, a slum in Mumbai. If her life was hard then, things got worse when the global pandemic brought the world to a grinding halt. Her husband, who had worked as a driver for years, was defrauded of his lifesavings by someone he once trusted, and he was also left unemployed.
For Kashi’s family, every day was now a struggle to survive.
Kashi had heard about Hamari Silai workshops and enrolled at one. She was taught machine stitching and how to tailor Western garments. She was, simultaneously, introduced to the basics of English and Math by student volunteers from B D Somani school. She was also taught about entrepreneurship and trade, and introduced to salesmanship and business through field trips to the market and to stores.
Through her hard work and dedication, Kashi not only mastered the art of tailoring but also gained the confidence to become a trainer herself. In three years, her monthly income has gone from INR 3,000 to INR 13,000, an increase that has made a world of difference to her family. Inspired by her experience, other women in the community have come forward to be similarly transformed. As an HSF trainer, Kashi is now helping them to improve their lot.
TOGETHER, WE CAN DO MORE
By supporting our organisation, you will help women from disadvantaged backgrounds to establish a source of income, enhance their skills and build a supportive sisterhood.
