Sari Bari

Wednesday we had a wonderful, hope-filled visit with the ladies of Sari Bari.

Sari Bari is an organization that offers women who want to leave the sex trade an option for alternative employment. They teach them to sew recycled saris into blankets and bags (a sari is a long scarf-like garment worn by almost every woman in India). They teach them about saving money. They offer health benefits. Through their business, they are witnessing the lives of women who come from childhoods shattered by terror, exploitation, and poverty become transformed by dignity and hope.

We were able to stroll through their small workshop and see the workers stretching their projects over the floor in clean, well-lit, ventilated rooms, cutting, measuring, and stitching while enjoying each other's company. We sat in the office with one of their staff, an American, and had a great conversation about how the business got started, how it grew, and how it works. After that we met another American staffer for dinner and shared our hearts for the kind of work we're all involved in - although we have the easy job as the retailers!