The tailoring course is Subhadra’s lifeline to sanity

Thank you for gifting an entire tailoring course to Subhadra.

Even though she is only 26, Subhadra has faced a lot of challenges in her life. At 16, she was married to her husband, an uneducated painter who earns about 3,000 rupees ($60) each month. Beginning early on in the marriage, Subhadra began facing intense pressure from her husband and in-laws to have children. Unfortunately, she soon found out that she was struggling with infertility problems, and the contentious relationship that she had with her in-laws only intensified. Her husband turned to alcohol and is often abusive. After medical treatment, including surgery, that she received for free through the health and community outreach program of a local nonprofit, Subhadra was finally able to conceive four years ago. Her struggles were not over, however, as her baby was a girl, and soon after her birth, Subhadra’s husband and in-laws soon began harassing her again to produce a son. Subhadra began suffering from severe postpartum depression, to the point that she needed to be hospitalized for several months. Although she is much better now, she remains on anti-psychotic medication and continues to deal with pressure from her husband and in-laws.

What helps Subhadra retain her sanity is the Basic Tailoring Class that she attends every day while her daughter is at nursery school. She loves getting out of the house and spending some time away from her difficult relationships with her in-laws (with whom she, her husband and daughter live), and feels excited to do something that is expanding her skill set and challenging her in a way that the monotony of her daily life does not. Although her illiterate husband and in-laws do not appreciate her 7th standard education, she has developed a new-found confidence as the most educated woman in the Basic Tailoring Class, particularly during the adult literacy component when most of the other women are learning the alphabet and she is able to study much more difficult material. Subhadra’s regular participation in the tailoring class contributes a great deal toward keeping her depression at bay and helping her develop supportive friendships with other women in the area, while also honing a skill and talent that gives her something to feel proud of.

Subhadra is looking forward to taking on orders for tailoring, and start earning money on her own.