Devi Women’s Collective
an initiative to empower less privileged women earn with dignity through Indian arts and culture
Devi’s Story…
It all began in the autumn of 2019…
It all began in the autumn of 2019 when two women, one from Canada with Indian roots named Jyoti and a migrant woman from Gujarat named Mina, met on a beach in South Goa. Jyoti was soaking up the sun when Mina, a tiny little Indian woman wearing a blue saree and a smile on her face, extended her hand full of necklaces for sale. Normally Jyoti would say no thanks but on this occasion she chose to listen to Mina's story.
Mina’s dream is to be able to educate her children and own her home.
Mina travels an hour and a half by bus each day to Patnem. She walks up and down the beach in the hot sun all day long. Sometimes her necklaces sell but mostly she returns home empty handed. She has five children, can only afford to educate two and owes six months rent. Mina’s dream is to be able to educate her children and own her home.
Devi was born…
Jyoti discovered that Mina's dream was shared by many of the other beach sellers. This inspired her to initiate the women’s collective along with her friend, Gabrielle Marshall, a jewellery designer, artist and educator from the UK who is equally passionate about empowering women.
Current Projects
The vision of the collective is a world where women from diverse socio-economic backgrounds collaborate to empower each other.
The collective currently works on two tourism-based projects:
The Ladies Sangeet project, bringing together local and migrant women living in Goa, India to create a unique women-only entertainment event called ‘Ladies Sangeet’ – an Indian musical evening where tourists from across the world experience Indian traditions including folk dances. We have successfully organized multiple events within the first three months. This has created an income opportunity for the women involved and has given them a sense of pride and dignity.
Cultural Immersion workshops, promoting local culture and providing an opportunity for meaningful work for local home-makers and mothers. In these experiential and fun workshop, tourists get a deeper understanding of the history and background of the local culture through an immersive experience learning local folk songs, food, and craft. Through these workshops, the local women earned income for the very first time in their life, giving them a sense of purpose and financial independence.
Latest Updates
Due to the Coronavirus and the government lockdown, our projects have come to a halt. The women who dreamed of owning a home and educating their children currently do not have enough money to feed their families. They never imagined they would have to rely on charity.
We have organized a fundraiser to help the ladies and other families in need. We would really appreciate your support in these efforts. By supporting the Devi Women's Collective, you are supporting sixty families now living without an income, more if we can exceed our target. You are helping women like Mina with a weekly supply of basic food items.
JYOTI@MAGNIWOMAN.COM
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