From not being allowed to step out of home to providing employment to destitute women in Bangalore, Sridevi has come a long way.
Sridevi Seelesh is a woman who embodies the clarion call of this year’s International Women’s Day theme 'make it happen'. Shy and soft-spoken, this unlikely hero has been driven by a singular goal - to uplift the destitute women of Bangalore’s slums.
Through her modest social enterprise, Sridevi, a mother of two, trains women and teaches them how to manage their finances. She gives them jobs that help them practice these lessons in self-reliance.
Humble Beginnings
Sridevi’s story starts in a conservative South Indian family that never let its women step out. But when her family ran into financial trouble, she had to go out. She learned to make and sell handicrafts, supporting her children until the crisis was resolved.
However, her brush with handling these money problems gave Sridevi the courage to take a bold stand. She had long been concerned about the destitute women around the slum near her home in Bangalore and decided to put her new handicraft making skills to good use.
A Courageous Move
In a courageous move, Sridevi crowdfunded a business loan, and started her own handicrafts production unit. She purchased machinery and raw materials and invited the women from the slum to train in making handicrafts and work for her. Today, Sridevi employs over 60 destitute women. They sell eco-friendly products to the prestigious Mother Earth brand at fair trade prices.
Watch the video to see Sridevi tell her inspiring story, and take you on a tour of her workshop:
Breaking the ceiling
India has so many more women like Sridevi, who work selflessly and astutely to uplift the less fortunate, to break the ceiling of social prejudice and poverty. They hold the keys that can unlock the immense strength and potential of women, their families and the Indian society.
These inspiring women deserve our recognition, applause, and support, so they can break the ceiling and achieve their full potential, creating progress and equal rights for all.
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