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Mahalakshmi — “Maha” to us — has been associated with REIN India Foundation for the last three years. We were introduced to her through Shrikant, another beneficiary, who said, “Madam, I know one physically challenged lady looking for work opportunities.”

Maha is a mother of two teenagers. Her marriage was not a happy chapter — her husband, an alcoholic, refused every responsibility as head of the family and turned physically abusive to her and the children. She endured it for years, and when nothing changed she chose herself and her children. She left, and took on small jobs to feed her family.

It was a busy winter morning during my fieldwork when I received a call — a single confident voice on the other end. That was my first ever interaction with Parvati.

Parvati was looking for a job that let her earn from home; her physical condition made travelling hard. Around that time we had begun engaging our community in cotton-cloth bag making, and I discovered her talent with the sewing machine. She is hardworking and sincere.