THE CONTEXT:

In rural areas in and around Rajghat Education Centre, Varanasi, many women from low-income households want to earn a livelihood and support their families with dignity. Most are school dropouts or have completed only high school, unable to pursue college due to financial constraints, domestic responsibilities, and sibling care.

While eager to work, women juggle household and caregiving duties and often face family resistance that limits their mobility. Tailoring, hand stitching, and embroidery offer viable livelihood options, but learning these skills requires sewing machines, trainers, raw materials, and a supportive space.

The Unit for Women Empowerment (UWE)is part of the Rajghat Education Centre (REC), Krishnamurti Foundation of India. It is located in the rural centre of REC. The rural centre also comprises the Achyutpatwardhan School, Sanjivan Hospital and the Dairy Farm, other than UWE. They have already impacted 300+ women over the last 30 years

Women have seen the impact UWE makes, and more women are seeking training. Unfortunately, the Unit for Women’s Empowerment (UWE) has limited capacity, and this means that many women are being turned away.  This crowdfunding campaign aims to raise funds to create more capacity for training and empowerment of women.

Scroll down to read the story of Kavitha and how UWE has changed her life.

After 30 years of creating sustainable change, KFI needs your support to empower women like Kavitha in the community and ensure no one is left behind.

THE INITIATIVE:

The Unit for Women’s Empowerment (UWE), established in 1994, is part of the Rural Centre at Rajghat Education Centre (REC) under the Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI), Varanasi. UWE supports women from Sarai Mohana and nearby villages to become economically independent by learning tailoring, hand stitching, and handicraft skills. Women have seen the impact UWE makes, and more women are seeking training.

They require INR 8.3 L to cover sewing machines, trainers, raw materials, operational costs, and administrative expenses for running the UWE training programme for one year.

Pic: The facade of the Unit for Women’s Empowerment (UWE).

UWE provides a safe space where women learn skills, engage with community issues, and earn a livelihood. Women are trained by experienced members of the production unit, encouraging peer learning and leadership.

This crowdfunding campaign aims to raise funds to create more capacity for training and empowerment of women. Through this campaign, we plan to procure approximately 20 Singer sewing machines to support the training of women in sewing skills.

Please find below the key features and specifications of the selected model.

Training runs alongside production, allowing a seamless transition from learning to earning. The programme not only supports household incomes and children’s education but also builds confidence, independence, and self-belief.

COST BREAK-UP:

THE IMPACT YOU CAN MAKE:

ABOUT THE TEAM:

Pic: The team of UWE.

Currently, eleven women artisans work at UWE, supported by two permanent female staff members and a master tailor. The women come from nearby villages such as Sarai Mohana, Kotwa, and Dinapur.

UWE has a long history of combining training with production. Women are trained in cutting and stitching garments such as kurtis, shirts, blouses, handbags, and other products. Compensation is provided monthly based on the number and type of items stitched. 

UWE also builds on its earlier initiatives, such as the GCARD (Girl Child All Round Development) programme, which focused on informal education and handicraft training for women and girls who were illiterate or school dropouts. This experience continues to inform UWE’s approach to skilling, learning, and empowerment.

By strengthening UWE’s training capacity, you will help women gain skills, earn with dignity, and move towards economic independence.

ABOUT ME AND THIS CAMPAIGN:

My name is Jai Shree, and I am a concerned citizen. I am doing this campaign to help women in rural areas around the Rajghat Education Centre (REC), KFI, reclaim their independence through skill-building and support. Many of these women are school dropouts who possess the drive to work but are restricted by domestic duties and a lack of resources. I am raising funds to provide them with the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty and support their families with dignity.

Currently, the Unit for Women’s Empowerment (UWE) under the Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI) lacks the capacity to meet the growing demand for training. While these women have a natural talent for tailoring and embroidery, they lack access to sewing machines and professional mentorship. UWE bridges this gap by providing a safe, local space where women may learn from expert artisans and transition directly into paid employment within the production unit.

To sustain this program for 20 women over the next year, we need to raise INR 8.3L. This goal covers the cost of 20 sewing machines, raw materials, and salaries for trainers and staff. Your contribution will provide the essential equipment and mentorship needed for these women to achieve economic independence and build a secure future for themselves and their communities.

LOCATION MAP:

ABOUT KRISHNAMURTI FOUNDATION INDIA (KFI):

It was in the year 1929 that Jiddu Krishnamurti spelt out his one-point mission, ‘to set man unconditionally free’. It was a mission that seemed to fulfil itself wherever he was and wherever he went, its intensity remaining undiminished by time and circumstance and, in fact, gathering new energy and momentum as his age advanced.

Krishnamurti Foundation India manages schools, study centres, promotes rural education and health, works with rural communities and works in the area of environmental conservation. This is in line with the teachings of J Krishnamurti, whose life and teachings spanned the greater part of the 20th century and are regarded by many as one who has had a profound impact on human consciousness in modern times. He confronted the problems of contemporary society and analysed with scientific precision the workings of the human mind. He gave new meaning and content to religion by pointing to a way of life that transcends all organised religions. Declaring that his only concern was to ‘set man absolutely, unconditionally free’, he sought to liberate human beings from their deep conditioning of selfishness and sorrow.

TAX BENEFITS:

Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks, as Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI) is registered, and you can avail of benefits under Section 80G of the IT Act.