Our member Gebeco visited our joint project in Chamoli, India, and discussed potential ideas and wishes for learning new skills and making local products with the women from four surrounding villages. As the women' strongly wish for a good education for their children, Alicia from Gebeco gave English lessons to the children.
Together with Gebeco and our local project partner Fernweh Fair Travel, we are working to empower women in a rural region in India by creating opportunities for them to generate their own income.
At the end of March, Alicia Kern, responsible for Communications & Sustainability at Gebeco, traveled to India and visited our joint project in Chamoli, in the Indian Himalayas.
At the community development center, which we built as part of the project and which opened earlier this year with a traditional puja ceremony, numerous women from four surrounding villages gathered for a meeting to their ideas, wishes and visions for the future. The women’s desire for better educational opportunities, especially for their children, was particularly strong.
This wish was immediately put into action: Alicia gave English lessons to a total of 81 children on four evenings – a first, powerful step towards educational equality.
But this is just the beginning: Whether sewing workshops, herbal tea courses, or support in making spice blends – there is great interest in further educational opportunities. The local women are full of energy and want to actively shape their lives and those of their families.
Together with our project coordinator, Poonam Rawat-Hahne from Fernweh Fair Travel, Alicia also met with local government officials and discussed opportunities for support from the local government and long-term prospects.
With these new insights, we will continue working in the coming months to support the local women in becoming self-sufficient.