Funded by: CBD Charitable Trust
Cost: £21,000. Opened: 2014

In the small remote village of Nua, there is a remarkable woman called Anita Kanwar. She teaches girls and ladies who are Megwas or Chamars (leather workers), the lowest society in the caste system. They are very poor but Anita has taught almost 1,600 of them to make clothes and apply henna and make-up so they can become local beauticians, hairdressers and practice many other skills.

With the help of our sponsor, Lotus Flower Trust built a Skills Centre on the edge of Nua, allowing the women to better organise their work and increase production. The building comprises two very large sewing rooms, a small office, a store room, a tiled kitchen plus two toilets. Produce made is now marketed and sold to traders as far as Germany.

The local people have begun to build houses in close proximity to the Centre, now a hub for the community. All the ladies are very excited about the new premises and the 20 new sewing machines provided by the Trust. Following training, many have also acquired their own machines through micro funding and set up their own businesses.  This project has revolutionised the lives of the female population in the villages around Nua and brought the female community together.