Empowering Women, Transforming Communities

Shivkanti, a 25-year-old village woman married to Amar Singh, came to Sabla's Family Counseling Centre with her children, complaining about her husband's abusive behavior.

She reported that her husband would regularly get drunk and beat her, and had even tried to throw her into a canal. Fearing for her life, she ran away to her parents' home, where they refused to shelter her.

Sabla provided shelter at their Short Stay Home, where she learned stitching - a skill that could help her become independent.

The center then contacted her husband Amar Singh and her parents for counseling. During the sessions, Amar Singh admitted his mistakes and promised to stop drinking and abusing his wife.

After a week, the couple returned to report that their relationship had improved. A follow-up visit in December 2008 confirmed they were leading a happy life together.

Nuzhat Bano, wife of Mohammad Sagir, was thrown out of her home by her unemployed husband. Unable to meet family needs, her four children's education had stopped.

When she raised these issues, her husband and in-laws abused her and expelled her from the home.

Sabla provided shelter in their Short Stay Home, where Nuzhat undertook vocational training to become self-reliant. Her daughter was also admitted to school to resume education.

After counseling sessions with her husband and in-laws, Nuzhat returned home through mutual reconciliation.

In the follow-up, it was found that Mohammad Sagir had gone to Kanpur to earn money, while Nuzhat started stitching clothes and rearing chickens, generating extra income for the family. She was now living happily with her children.

Mayawati, a farmer in a family of five, struggled with conventional farming methods on their small land. High agricultural costs and low output barely met their annual grain requirements.

Living in poverty, her husband Ram Pher started drinking and would abuse Mayawati and their children when he returned from the city where he went to earn money.

After attending a meeting of Angoorhat Bir Baba Self Help Group, Mayawati formed Sanktha Devi SHG with 12 other women.

The training and savings through SHG transformed her life - she bought a cow, learned vermi-compost production, reduced agricultural costs, and increased output.

Her monthly income rose from Rs 600 to Rs 2,500. Her children started attending school, and her husband stopped migrating and drinking. The family now looks forward to a better future.

Mohd. Jasim, a 20-year-old with 10th grade education, was the eldest son in a family of six. His father worked as a mason, and they had no farmland.

After leaving school, Jasim worked at a welding shop but was unsatisfied and wandered aimlessly with friends.

After joining Sabla's SAKAR project, he became regular at the Alternative Education Center and decided to pursue mobile phone repairing.

Sabla facilitated basic training and then sent him to Udyamita Vikas Sansthan, Lucknow for a 10-day professional course.

When Jasim couldn't afford tool kits to start his business, Sabla provided support. He now runs his own mobile repair shop in Kathwara and plans to expand his business.