Excellent gifts can come in small or young packages! At only 16, Rupuli Saiya is one of Home of Hope’s youngest volunteers. Little did she realize that the art of crochet, which she had earlier learned from her grandmother, would today have the possibility of transforming the lives of numerous destitute children in an Uttar Pradesh village called Mijwan.
At a Home of Hope event Rupali and her father learned about the project which was designed to help young girls in Mijwan break the cycle of early marriage and subsequent young child birth. Without a means to earn and become productive members of society, their futures were very limited. With her father’s help and support, Rupali is determined to help make a difference.
When I learned that HOH supports the Mijwan Welfare Society, I saw a way to reach out and help them! These girls, who previously lacked a formal education were now being offered a structured program in sewing and embroidery. I thought, why not knitting and crocheting, also?” This was the inspiration she needed to begin a company called “Crafts for Hope.” To facilitate the development of quality products, Rupali engaged the services of Shruti to be her project manager in India. Shruti is able to meet our girls and communicate fluently with them. Rupali says, “We make a great team.”
Products would be manufactured by the students of Home of Hope’s Mijwan project and offered for sale on a web site. Our girls would be paid for their work and any net profits will be donated to Home of Hope. Currently available online, there are hats, beanie hats, shawls, scarves, crocheted caps and matching sets. Soon, there will be cardigans, dog sweaters and more, with prices ranging from $6.95 to $32.95.
“Best of all”, says Rupali, “we both are amazed to see how quickly each young girl pays close attention to the first set of instructions and then begins to produce beautiful work! The dollars raised here will go directly to HOH to help with the next Project for Mijwan, and we see a great future of Crafts of Hope!”
