Geejgarh READ India Center
Since the first time I came to India (Bangalore) and this time staying in Gurgaon I have been immersed in a big city environment, with huge buildings, traffic, diversity and a lot of western culture influence. Yesterday we had the chance to travel to Geejgarh in Rajasthan state of India. It was the first time I could really feel the Rural environment of India and it was great. It reminded me of my childhood where I used to play in my grandpa's farm. It was also amazing to see huge farms and see women wearing sarees in the middle of their daily farming activities.
The READ India Center in Geejgarh is 100% self-sustainable, it has a great basket and furniture manufacturing unit, as well as cotton production unit besides all standard services READ India centers provide: Women empowerment, livelihood trainings, Computer and stitching and sewing advanced courses and others. Its sustainability was also positively influenced by the highway road near it, which allowed marketing to be more easily done to huge bigger cities like Agra, where Taj Mahal monument is located, meaning high number of tourists and increased chances to sell their products.
It was also very interesting to see some chairs being manufactured with a local grass, which is now being produced for an exporter to sell it internationally. This is an example of how READ India could put design knowledge together with local culture experience and local raw material in a high quality saleable product, allowing local women to get additional income to their families and because of that, raise the respect of their family with her. For married women, it means having voice inside their families and for single women to have the opportunity to avoid early marriage and to also raise the quality of their prospect husbands.
What I am glad to see here is the change READ India has done to these women and their families, but also change the culture of this village. Before, these women were not even allowed to leave their homes. They were just cooking and cleaning their houses without any perspective of the outside world and their own personal vocation. With this opportunity to work, they are now allowed to see themselves not only as wife and mom, but as a woman to be respected and valued.
Besides women, this center also has a library that allows this village's children and teenagers to have access to knowledge and to improve their skills for increased chances of employment and passing competitive tests. Having access to computers, they also have the opportunity to know more about what is technology and to connect to other cultures, countries and people through internet.
I am very glad with this opportunity of learning more about this center and I am really looking forward to see more self-sustaining centers like this across READ India centers.
Good job, READ India!
