The Story of Jalpaiguri

Submitted by Paul Suit on Tue, 04/24/2012 - 10:41

Last week Team India traveled to an area of West Bengal called Jalpaiguri (located about 3 hours outside Darjeeling) to open the THIRD Made By Survivors Jewelry Training and Production Center! We are honored to be partnering with Womens Interlink Foundation again and based on the success of the first jewelry center with WIF, in Kolkata, we anticipate great things ahead. 

In part one of a five part blog series about the opening of the new center, Asia Program Director Paul Suit, walks you through the background of why trafficking is such a problem in this area of India.

All you need is love...

Submitted by Paul Suit on Mon, 04/02/2012 - 06:36

Check out the new blog entry from our volunteer, Renee, as she discusses how her 2nd week on the job went! 

My second week in Kolkata and at CCH has flown by. I already feel settled and at home here. I am excited about what each day brings.

Validation

Submitted by Paul Suit on Wed, 02/22/2012 - 03:50

Yesterday I received some great news about one of the girls in our jewelry program that highlighted how successful our program is and how the sky is the limit for how successful it can be. 

Giving Thanks To You

Submitted by Paul Suit on Thu, 11/24/2011 - 12:14

 

Giving Thanks To You

Today we are giving thanks to you.  Made By Survivors has seen significant growth over the years.  We have served over 1,000 survivors of human trafficking through school sponsorship, education, employment, and helping to construct shelter homes. Without you none of this would be possible.  

Today we are giving our thanks to you.  If you have

*  Bought from Made By Survivors

The Salsa comes to India

Submitted by Paul Suit on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 10:41

Read the latest  update from India!   By University of Guelph researcher Tanya Lee.....

I am a Canadian graduate student in India for two months to learn about the Made by Survivors jewelry program. My research focuses on issues such as agency, group belonging, and economic sustainability. Thus far the jewelry program partners with two very different organizations in two very different environments: one in the middle of urban Kolkata; and one in a rural area outside of Mumbai. I have just returned from spending 2 weeks at the latter. 

Team India Update

Submitted by Paul Suit on Sat, 11/05/2011 - 09:07

Friday October 28th

Diwali celebrations still continue throughout the city. Every night people head to their roof tops or out into the street to set off an impressive display of fireworks. The city is truly a site to behold when everyone is lighting up the night sky with sparklers and fireworks worthy of a July 4th celebration in America. The festival season is winding down which means cool temperatures will soon follow.

Sunday October 30th

Team India Weekly Update

Submitted by Paul Suit on Tue, 10/25/2011 - 07:11

Team India updates from the field in Kolkata. 

Monday October 24th 2011

Today we start hosting a researcher named Tanya that is here to evaluate the Jewelry Training program and other Income Generation Projects that we help manage to help determine how effective they are and, potentially, how we can make them better.  Tanya will be conducting a one on one interview with the local staff and the girls in the program to get an idea of how the program impacts them and if/how it has changed them.

Journey to Jalpaiguri

Submitted by Paul Suit on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 13:17

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to accompany Aloka Mitra (Founder and Chairperson of Women's Interlink Foundation) on a 3 day trip to Jalpaiguri, India to meet with officials in the area to discuss future projects and to see the site for our next jewelry center.

There's always light at the end of the tunnel!

Submitted by Paul Suit on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 13:44

Last week I had a good time with my extended family in Boisar shelter home. I had gone to the Mumbai shelter home to follow up on the jewelry program which we are conducting since last year, October. It was great to see the level of improvement the girls have gone through. One particular girl, Sonam was apprehensive about the program because she lacked confidence when I met her for the first time. She would barely speak to us and was indifferent. She dreaded that she would not be able to do anything in her life as she lost the meaning of her life after what she had suffered.

The Sacred Thread

Submitted by Paul Suit on Tue, 08/16/2011 - 14:08

(Paul pictured above getting a Rakhi tied by one of the girls) 

This weekend was  Raksha Bandhan, or Rakhi, a festival primarily observed in India that celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. The central ceremony involves the tying of a rakhi (sacred thread) by a sister on her brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her. I was fortuate enough to be able to celebrate the holiday with the girls at the jewelry center and even though this was my 2nd time, this years ceremony carried a deeper meaning for me. 

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