Happy Diwali!

The street on our house lit up for Diwali

An awesome house on the walk home.

With Keladevi & her grandson,
enjoying Diwali sweets in their home.

Just wanted to send a shout out home to all my favourite people, HAPPY DIWALI! It's extremely cozy here and spirits are high. I wanted to bring a light to Saarthak, the NGO that we are working with the women through (it's a partner company to IDEX). In the spirit of Diwali, Saarthak would like to gift sewing machines and supplies to the women that I work with and that are in the other camp, so they can begin vocational training and eventually move into the workplace. If the Diwali spirit moves you and you'd like to give, contact me and we'll set up an email transfer. They need only 46,000 Rupees to purchase the supplies -- $928 Canadian dollars.

A side note: I was in the homes today of two women (sisters) who were married at the ages of 12 and 14 to two brothers. There were five brothers and five sisters married on the same day, the youngest being three and five (girl and boy respectively). On a day where spirits are high and everyone's reflecting on their past year, I just want all the amazing women in my life at home to celebrate being a strong, free female. We get to choose the love in our lives, love first and then marriage. That's not the way it works here, rather marriage first and maybe love - if they're lucky. I have one woman in my class who doesn't live with her husband because he simply doesn't like her. Knowing my parents love and lots of other examples of pure love around me, I can't imagine a world where you couldn't choose the one person who will walk through all of life beside you. The one that will hold your hand through the ups and downs and be your partner throughout life. We are so lucky. Cherish all of those beautiful boyfriends / husbands and amazing men in your lives today.

I can email you Saarthak's Diwali fundraising flyer if you would like to know more -- or read the text below:

Saarthak wishes all volunteers a Happy Diwali and hopes that the coming year is full of joy, happiness and prosperity for you. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the work that you are doing in our projects, and for the enthusiasm and joy which you bring to the women and children there. We would not be able to do our work without you, and for that we are most grateful.
Diwali is a time of giving; much like Christmas is in Christian countries. This is traditionally done within immediate family, particularly from husband to wife, but we would like to extend this custom of giving to the ladies in our projects in Katputli Nagar and Ambedkar Nagar.
In order to improve the service we offer currently to the ladies at the tailoring vocational traing class, please help us to buy the following items for each project: 
 * 3 more sewing machines;
 * 2 new pedal pads for existing machines;
 * Stock of material, thread, scissors, chalk etc.
This will allow us to teach the ladies more effectively as more of them will be able to practice what they have learned in class. It will also allow the ladies to use the machines more regularly to do their work.
 We need Rs 46,000 (approximately 700 Euros) in total and we would really appreciate your help.