Project Dor Impact Stories: Najafgarh

The women of Sapera Basti, a small yet bustling community of snake-charmers in Najafgarh, Delhi, are a group on the brink of prostitution, having lost their traditional livelihood in this day and age. In an attempt to avoid the tipping over of these women into the abyss of the flesh trade, we collaborated with them to make tie-and-dye scarves. The impact of this partnership resulted in the blossoming of newer and more feasible avenues for these women- the social and economic consequence was immense, and the personal impact? Even more so.

Women who had never heard of anything other than snake-charming as a profession were introduced to the art of tie-and-dye. Quick on their feet and eager to learn, the ladies picked up on the various skills required with extraordinary speed. They learnt the art of mixing colours, dyeing and drying cloths, and even marketing. One of the members of our target community, Aarti , shares her experience of working with us and how did the power of entrepreneurship influence her.

Project Dor empowered these women to take the path less travelled and explore undiscovered areas of skill development and income-earning. The women of Sapera Basti, now, have a viable alternative to support themselves and their families against that of being forced to enter the dark and deplorable world of human trafficking. Their smiles and positive response to this option of an alternate livelihood has encouraged Enactus KiroriMal to continue its pursuit of the upliftment of various disadvantaged communities.